AfterShock
by Aggie Escott
Summary: I'm back! Aaron centric with lots of Spence. After a boring morning at the BAU, the team go for lunch together. Aaron's having a bad day, so he goes to take his mind off things. No slash. Please R&R. Sorry I've been away. Plz return O loyal friends!
1. Lunchtime Drinks

AFTERSHOCK

Chapter 1 – Lunch Time Drinks

**A/N Ok I know I said I was not writing anymore but I CAN'T HELP IT!! I'm not going to write slash any more, just friendship. All my old reviewers, I'd love to have you back again! This story has been screaming at me to write it. I still totally love Aaron! Please review, I love you all!!**

_**W.C. Fields said, "Somebody left the cork out of my lunch."**_

Aaron Hotchner looked at the envelope that had just landed on his door mat. He knew who it was from, and he thought he knew what was in it, but he really didn't want to open it. He used to like it when the post arrived before he went to work. Now he wished it would come later. He sighed and snatched the letter up off the mat and shoved it in his pocket without checking the sender.

_Dammit all to hell!! Why does this have to happen?_

He felt a little shaky driving to work worrying about the letter. He stopped in a lay-by and opened it. He couldn't work until he had read it.

It was from Haley's lawyer.

Aaron wanted to say 'Take the bloody lot!' He didn't care any more, he just wanted this over. But he knew that in a few months time, when the emotional turmoil had settled down a bit, he would regret it.

He would give his life for Jacky-Boy. But he was damned if he was going to set Haley up in luxury for the rest of her life from a job she didn't even want him to do!

He scrunched the sheet of paper up in his shaking hand, and put his forehead on the steering wheel.

_Come on, Aaron. You're not the first man to go through this, and you're definitely not the last. It'll be over soon..._

He decided to have a chat with Dave when he got a minute. He'd survived three divorces, and was currently 'between wives'. If Dave could survive, maybe he could too.

But oh boy, were these feelings confusing.

He threw the letter in the back and drove on to work.

-0-0-0-

There were no new cases yet, though JJ had a pile of requests to go through. She had seemed a little 'off' in her manner lately. When he felt a little better, he would talk to her about it. He was the last one in, something that didn't go unnoticed by the team. Morgan studiously didn't raise his head from his work, the less subtle Dr Reid called out 'hello', drawing unwanted attention to him.

Aaron nodded hello and went straight into his office and sat down. He called his lawyer, who said not to worry, and fax the letter across.

"Let me worry about it, Mr. Hotchner." he said, adding with a laugh, "After all, it's what you are paying me vast sums money for!"

Aaron didn't laugh and cut the connection.

The morning was long and boring. JJ had sifted the requests and none of them needed their expertise. At lunch time, Emily suggested they go out together. There was a nice 'English' pub just outside Quantico, and she wanted to try it. It sounded like a nice idea, Aaron thought, and said he would go.

Garcia had other plans, and JJ wasn't feeling too good. So the others met by the lift. Emily, Rossi and Morgan went in one car, Aaron took his own, just in case he was called back. Spencer asked Aaron if he could go with him.

Aaron remembered opening up to Spence a few weeks ago when they were in the SUV together. He knew that the team wanted to reach out and support him, but only Reid seemed to know how. Aaron didn't know how to open up. He had no idea why talking to Spencer was so easy. Dave had tried really hard to get him to open up to him, but Spencer didn't have to try. It seemed natural somehow.

He nodded to Spencer, the little gesture speaking volumes to him.

The two cars drove up the ramp into the traffic. It was light at this time of day. It was late for lunch time traffic, and the school run hadn't begun yet. Aaron leaned over to the back seat and retrieved the letter. He handed it to Reid in silence. Spencer uncrumpled it, and read it quickly. A old Ford pickup pulled in between them and Rossi's SUV. Aaron slammed down on the brake, cursing softly under his breath. Spencer grabbed the handle.

"What's he playing at?" Reid said as Aaron swerved slightly.

Aaron pressed his lips together in annoyance. This was being a bad day.

_So, isn't every day a bad day?_

"You ok, Reid?" he asked, glancing over at his colleague.

He didn't hear the answer. The car in front suddenly screeched to a halt. Aaron hit the brakes and stopped short of smashing into the pickup. Spencer had his hand on the dash, Aaron breathed out heavily, gripping the wheel.

"What the hell's..."

Reid's words were cut off as another car impacted with the side of Aaron's car, pushing Aaron across into the passenger's seat where Spencer was trying to open the door. The front air bags deployed, but they were useless in a side impact. Spencer yanked open the door and fell into the road. He stood up shakily and climbed back into the car. Aaron was lying across the passenger's seat, bleeding heavily from a head wound. Spencer reached over and turned off the ignition, got his mobile out and called emergency services.

He checked Aaron's pulse.

He was alive, but the head trauma looked bad. He was very pale, it looked as if his legs were caught.

"It's ok, Hotch, Help's on its way." Spencer said. Aaron moaned softly, and tried to lift his hand. Spencer took his hand and Aaron's fingers curled around his. "Hotch, I'm going around the other side to see if I can open the door. I'm not going away." Spencer gave Aaron's hand a squeeze, and ran round to the other side.

He had a horrible feeling that this was set up. He needed to think. What were the odds...?

Two people were getting out of the car that had ht them; a woman and a man. The man had a crow bar. They had reversed their car back a little, so Spencer began to pull at the door.

"Please, get back. We're doctors." the woman said. She ran round the other side, and climbed in the car. Spencer stood back as the man pushed a crow bar into the join between the door and the frame, and wrenched the door open.

It looked to Spencer as if Aaron's legs were broken. He cried out as the pressure of the door was released. There was a lot of blood. Spencer called out to him.

"They're doctors, Hotch. It's ok!"

Suddenly to Spencer's horror, the man grabbed Aaron by the ankles and started to pull him out of the car. Aaron screamed as he felt bones grind together and he writhed in pain.

"What are you doing?" shouted Reid, as he tried to pull the man's hands from Aaron's legs. The man swung a punch that caught Reid totally unawares, knocking him backwards a step. The woman had hold of Aaron's upper body, lifting him out of the car. Aaron's eyes were wide with pain as he was roughly manhandled out of the car. Spencer tried to push the man away again.

Aaron screamed as the man dropped him onto the road, picked up the crowbar and swung it at Reid. It caught Reid on the side of the head and he dropped with a moan.

The man picked up Aaron again, holding Aaron's knees either side of his waist. The woman climbed out of the car holding Aaron's shoulders.

Aaron struggled weakly, trying to twist out of their grip, but he had no chance. Tears of pain flooded his cheeks and each breath came as a cry. As they lifted him out of the car, he saw Spencer sprawled out on the road, a growing puddle of blood around his head. He tried to call his name, but even though his lips formed the word, there was no sound other than his desperate cries of agaony.

The woman stepped over the body on the road, and the two of them carried Aaron to the back of the pickup, and dropped him over the back into the flat bed. Aaron hit the floor with an agonising crash. The shock was too much, and passed out. The man reached in and covered his body with an old tarpaulin.

The man and woman ran round to the cab, and the pickup drove off.

The whole operation took less than a minute.


	2. Road Trip

Chapter 2

Road Trip

**A/N Thank you everyone! What a wonderful welcome back!**

_**Travel and change of place impart new vigour to the mind. Seneca **_

Rossi and Morgan went to the bar to order their lunch and drinks, Emily stood by the open door. The others were following them, so where were they? She went back to the two men at the bar.

"They were right behind us." she said worriedly. "They should be here."

"Do you want me to drive back and look for them?" Morgan said, hoping she'd say no.

"Oh, would you?" She gave him a troubled smile. "I'll stay here with Rossi. They've probably got lost."

She didn't think for a minute that they were lost. It was not possible to get lost with Reid in the car, especially in Quantico.

"Get me a Hoppy and a cheese ploughman's. I'll be back in five." Morgan sprinted to the SUV and drove back the way they had come.

He saw the flashing blue lights and heard the sirens before he could see clearly what was going on. Then he saw Hotch's car – or what was left of it. And he saw someone lying in the road surrounded by paramedics.

_Oh god...Reid!_

Flashing his badge with one hand, and calling Rossi with the other, Morgan pushed through the gawpers to the huddle around Reid. He saw the blood and his stomach clenched. He looked around the scene for Hotch. There were no bodies lying covered by the road side, no one being attended to by paramedics, he wasn't in the car. With his badge held out, he pulled one of the attending cops round to face him.

Before the cop could object, Morgan said, "Where's the other guy? The driver? Has he been taken to hospital? Is he ok?"

The cop held his hands up, palms out. "Hey, man, slow down!" he said. "There was only the kid own there on the road. Looks like a pedestrian. No one in either car. Hit and run, it seems." He gestured towards Reid lying in the road. "I guess the drivers split. Drunk or high, no doubt."

Morgan resisted the urge to hit the guy. "The driver of this car," he pointed to Hotch's car, "is an FBI Special Agent, Aaron Hotchner. He was not drunk or high. The 'kid' on the ground id also a Federal Agent, and he was a passenger. His name is Dr. Spencer Reid." Morgan started to feel anxiety adding to his anger. "Hotchner should be here. He would never have left the scene."

"I'll pass on the information." He went off to report, glad to get away from the big angry black guy. Morgan went and stood by Reid.

"How is he?" he asked.

One of the paramedics glanced up at him, but said nothing. They were very careful about giving out information.

"He's a Federal Agent, my colleague." Morgan said. "How is he?"

The paramedic stood up. "He's sustained a severe blow to the head." he said. "We thought at first it was caused in the accident, but he wouldn't have been able to get out of the car on his own and walk round to here." He looked troubled. "It looks to me like blunt force trauma. A tyre iron or something similar."

Morgan looked closely at the door. "Or a crowbar?"

"Yeah. Could be." he answered. "We'll know more later. He's unconscious, and tachycardic. But he's breathing. We're taking him to the Potomac."

Morgan pulled out his mobile again and speed dialled Garcia. It took her a little longer to answer the phone.

"Hey Doll," he said with out preamble. "Would you run a plate for me?" He went to the back of the car and read out the number to her. Seconds later she replied.

"Stolen from Fredericksburg two days ago. Sending the details to your phone now." She paused, and then, " I thought you were having a relaxing lunch. What's happened?"

"There's been an accident, Princess." he said. "Reid's on his way to the Potomac General, and Hotch is missing."

"Give me something, Babe. I need to help."

"I'll call you, Baby Girl." and he snapped his mobile shut.

Just then Rossi and Emily arrived at the scene, looking very worried.

"Ok," Rossi said. "What the hell happened?"

-0-0-0-

Aaron became aware of excruciating pain in his lower legs, and for a minute or two that's all he was aware of.

He made an effort to try to remember what had happened.

There was something covering him, and he slowly moved to push whatever it was off him, and he rolled carefully onto his back. The movement sent shocks of pain from his legs through his body, and he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the wave of nausea. His head was throbbing, and he touched the left side of his head and felt blood.

He opened his eyes slowly and looked around. He seemed to be lying in the back of a pickup. He remembered almost driving into one. Then he remembered the car ramming into the side of his car.

After that things were a bit blurred. He could recall Spencer saying that the doctor was there. He remembered holding Spencer's hand briefly. He thought he remembered seeing Spencer lying on the road.

Was this the truck from the accident? It seemed likely, but why was he in the back of it? His instinct said he had to get out.

Very painfully, he tried to pull himself over to the side, but he was in too much, and even the slightest movement brought tears to his eyes. The truck was moving fast over rough terrain. There was no chance of him getting out while it as moving.

He lay back in the bed of the truck and concentrated on staying conscious. Every time the truck hit a rock or jumped over the rough ground, Aaron yelped as bones pulled apart or ground together. He was breathing heavily and sweating through exertion and pain. There was blood smeared across the floor where he'd tried to move, and his trousers were ripped and bloody.

Very carefully, he sat up and pulled the torn fabric away from his legs and checked the damage, stopping every few seconds to catch his breath and regain control of his breathing. He thought both Fibula bones were broken, and the right shin showed white bloody bone protruding through his skin. Both legs were twisted un-naturally. His stomach heaved and he whimpered and shook as the truck bounced over the terrain, each movement forcing cries of pain from his lips

The pain was all embracing; as he lay back down in the truck he knew he was going to be sick. He turned his head to the side and coughed and vomited onto the floor and in his hair. Each time his body heaved, his legs moved and new pain was added to that already threatening to overwhelm him.

He lay back and stared at the clouds rushing past above him. Tears ran from the corners of his eyes and down into his hair, to mix with the dirt and blood and vomit. He tried to analyse what was happening to him, but his brain was past thinking, and all five of his senses seemed to be registering the hurting.

_Control, Aaron. It's only pain... you can beat this...oh god, I can't... Oh help me...hurts..._

Trembling and moaning in pain, Aaron slipped into unconsciousness.

-0-0-0-

Spencer came round as he was being loaded into the ambulance. It took two paramedics and stern words from Morgan to keep him from getting off the gurney. Rossi and Emily were consulting with the head CSI, processing the cars. They were starting to build up a picture of what had happened.

"They were hurting Hotch!" Reid shouted, trying to get up. "They said they were doctors, but they weren't." He pushed the paramedic away who was holding down his shoulders. "Where is he? Have they hurt him?"

"Lay still, kiddo."Morgan put his hand on the centre of Reid's chest. "He's not here. Let's get you into the ambulance, and you can tell me what happened."

Spencer sighed, and lay back down.

"Oh god, they've taken him." he yelled, grabbing Morgan's arm. "They were hurting him. We have to find him. Morgan, we..."

Morgan kept his hand on Reid's chest stopping him from getting up.

"Just keep calm and tell me what happened, Reid. Then we can start looking."

Spencer's eyes were huge and scared as he told Morgan about the crash.

"They said they were doctors," he said, "And I got out of the way. The woman got into the passengers side, the man crowbarred the door open, and then they started to drag Hotch out. I think his legs were broken, Morgan. They were just pulling at him, and he was screaming."

Reid was sobbing. He wiped his face angrily on his sleeve.

"That's when I think they hit me." he said. "I remember the man picking up the crow bar. He must have hit me with it."

"You go now, Kid. I'm going to stay and see what I can learn here, then we'll all come to the hospital, and we'll get a profile up." He squeezed Reid's shoulder. "And don't worry, Kid. We'll find him."

Morgan stepped down from the ambulance, and the 'medic closed the door.


	3. Tea With The Family

Chapter 3

Tea With The Family

_**In each family a story is playing itself out, and each family's story embodies its hope and despair. Auguste Napier**_

Aaron's body rocked and jolted as the pickup drove. When it started to rain, the penny sized drops fell onto Aaron's face and diluted the blood that was dried in his hair. Pinkish water collected in the corner of the flatbed, and soaked through the clothes he was wearing. His eyes flickered open slowly and he started to shiver. He painfully and slowly pulled himself into the corner opposite the pool of bloody water, and with shaking freezing hands, dragged the tarpaulin around himself for warmth, covering his injured legs. The sky was darkening; they had been driving for some hours. Aaron carefully moved his legs against the side of the bed, the shock of pain forcing tears to mingle with the rain on his face. He turned to the side and leaned forward on his hands, and threw up again. He wiped his mouth on his soaked sleeve, and leaned his head back, breathing heavily, whimpering in pain and distress. He wrapped his arms around himself and huddled into the corner.

-0-0-0-

Reid had been given a mild sedative in an effort to keep him on the bed. So far it had worked. The doctor had shaved a patch of hair away, and he had seven stitches holding his head together. He had a mild concussion, but no serious damage. They were worried about a subdural bleed, and so were keeping him in at least until the next day.

When the team arrived, he pulled himself into a sitting position. Emily, Rossi and Morgan pulled chairs up to the bedside.

"Ok, Reid," Rossi began taking out his note book and blue pan. "Tell us what happened."

Spencer put a hand to his head and absently touched the dressing. "Everything is kind of mixed up in my head at the moment." he said. "The first thing that happened was a Ford pickup pulled in front of us. Hotch had to slam on the brakes and swerve to miss it." Reid was speaking uncharacteristically slowly, putting events in order as he remembered them. "The next thing, the pick up stopped dead. Hotch stopped in time, but before we could recover, someone drove into Hotch's side of the car, and he was thrown across the passenger's seat."

"Was there a Ford pickup at the scene, Morgan?"

Morgan shook his head. "It must have moved off quickly. It had gone when I arrived."

"We need to find the pickup. There could be a witness." Rossi turned to Emily.

"I'll get Garcia onto it." she said. She left the room to call her.

"Ok, Reid. Hotch was lying across the seat." Rossi said. "Then what?"

Spencer stared into space as he recounted the accident. "Hotch was bleeding from a head wound, and his legs were trapped. He was semi-conscious, and I went round to the other side of the car to try to open his door." Reid Focused on Rossi as he remembered the two 'doctors'.

"Two people, a man and a woman, got out of the other car. They said they were doctors." Reid's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I should have known they weren't. They were too young." The tears began to fall, and he quickly wiped them away. "This is my fault. I let them get to Hotch."

Morgan put his hand on Reid's arm. "Give us a description, Kid. And this was not your fault."

Spencer put his head down and covered his face with his hands as he visualised the two people.

"The woman was about twenty, long dark hair, jeans and dark sweatshirt. Five seven, a hundred and sixty pounds. The man was about the same age, He wore jeans and check shirt. He was taller, about five nine, a hundred and seventyish." He took his hands away from his face. "Get a sketch artist here, I'll describe them. I can remember them clearly"

Emily, who had just come back in, got her phone out and went outside again.

"They've lifted prints off the car. We might get a match." Morgan said.

Spencer nodded unhappily and closed his eyes against the growing headache.

-0-0-0-

Aaron drifted in and out of consciousness in the corner of the pickup. He was shivering hard, and his shaking body was rattling the tail end of the truck. When the truck stopped at last, he was too weak to keep his balance, and he fell sideways, hitting his already wounded head. He groaned with the new pain and lifted a trembling hand to his wet and bloody hair. He felt the blood seep between his fingers and drip onto the wet floor.

He heard the sound of the cab doors opening, and footsteps coming round to the back of the truck. A rattling sound as the tail was released, and Aaron held his breath and waited. He wanted to move his legs away from the opened back to prevent whoever these people were from touching them, but weakness overcame him and he couldn't move.

"Get out, Hotchner!"

Ever if he wanted to comply, he wouldn't be able to. He started to try to speak but all he could do was scream as rough Hands grabbed his ankles and yanked at him. He gripped at the floor of the bed with frozen fingers as he fought to escape the hands. He was rolled onto his front by his hips and pulled out of the truck.

He landed face down in deeply rutted mud. His legs were released. He felt bones move and muscles tear and he cried out as hands pulled him upright.

"Stand, you creep, or we will drag you."

He stood between them, held under his arms.

"I can't stand up." he said, keeping his voice steady. "My legs are ..."

Aaron didn't finish. At that moment, the hands released him and he crumpled into the mud with a soft cry. He didn't move from the prone position he landed in, in too much agony to move, yet desperate to do so. He took a deep breath to control any tremor in his voice.

"You will have to move me or leave me here. I cannot stand."

He felt hands around his wrists and his upper body was lifted from the ground. With his arms pulled out in front of him, his head hanging forward, he was dragged through the mud. He was cold and weak and in pain. As his injured legs caught in the deep ruts on the path, he cried out and whimpered. Suddenly, the terrain altered, and he was being pulled up wooden steps, into a dry room. His wrists were released, and he fell back onto the floor, breathing heavily, pain tearing him apart.

He was lying on his front, facing to his right. He opened his eyes and watched the man light an oil lamp and pour water from a water carrier into a kettle. The woman came into view and lit the stove and put the kettle on to heat.

"Tea or coffee, Bren?"

The man turned to her and smiled. "I'd prefer something stronger, Maize. I want to celebrate!"

"Not today. We need to stay with it today."

"Yeah. Guess you're right."

Aaron watched as the man, Bren, walked over to him. He closed his eyes. Bren kicked him in the ribs. Aaron's body jerked, and he moaned faintly.

"Tea then. Strong and sweet. I'm going to need energy tonight!"

Maize laughed. "You got it!"

"What about him then?" Bren said, prodding Aaron with his foot. "We string him up now, or wait? What do you reckon?"

"I'll make the drink and boil some water, you string him up. I know you want to!"

Bren grinned at his sister. She knew him so well!

He bent down next to Aaron and with a hand on his hip and one on his shoulder, turned him onto his back. He ignored the pained gasp that escaped his prisoner's lips, and once again caught hold of Aaron's wrists, pulling him across the floor to the wall opposite the door. Aaron was gasping and crying out but Bren roughly handled him as if the dreadful pain was of no consequence.

"He's very cold," Bren said. "What if he dies?"

"Well if he does, he does. As long as he lives long enough."

Bren smiled and checked the ropes that he had prepared that morning. He had had to guess at the positioning, and was delighted that he had got it right.

"Hey, I guessed this good!" he said as he attached ropes to Aarons elbows and under his arms. Aaron tried to lift his head to see what Bren was doing, but he didn't have the strength. He heard the ropes creak and he was pulled up from the floor, his feet just touching the bare floor boards. Aaron felt a hand grip his fringe and yank his head up.

"Open your eyes, creep. Look at us and remember!"

Aaron's eyelids fluttered and he slowly opened his eyes and looked into Bren's face.

"I don't know ...who you are." Aaron whispered.

Bren drew back his fist and hit Aaron's face. Aaron felt his nose crack and blood filled his mouth. He felt the blood from his nose run down and drip off his chin. Bren threw Aaron's head back and the back of his head cracked on the wall. Aaron's eyes rolled upwards and he fainted.

"Thank you, Sis." Bren took the mug from Maize, and they went to sit by the stove.


	4. Memories

Chapter 4

Memories

_**Revenge is always the weak pleasure of a little and narrow mind. **__**Juvenal**_

No hits on AFIS. Morgan didn't really expect one, but sometimes they came up lucky. He stood behind Garcia as she ran the CCTV videos from the accident. The car that bit Hotch's definitely sped up just before the crash. They watched the grainy footage as Hotch's car was shunted sideways. They saw the passenger door open, and Reid fall into the road. They saw him get up and climb back in, before he re-emerged and ran round to the other side of the car.

He was out of shot now. They couldn't see the two abductors, but a few seconds later they could see their backs as they carried Hotch to the truck and dropped him over the back. Seconds later the truck drove off.

"Can you get a plate on the truck, Princess?"

"I've tried. There's some kind of reflective film over it. The CCTV didn't pick it up."

Morgan angrily brought his fist down on Garcia's desk. He said sorry when he saw the look she gave him.

"What about satellite images? Can we follow the truck? There must be some way of finding out where they took him." Morgan clenched and unclenched his fist. "There must be something!"

"I'll see what I can find." said Garcia. "It might take a while; there are so many parameters to consider..." Her fingers flew across the keyboard. "But if it's findable, I'll find it!"

"WE don't have long. Hotch was hurt in the crash. We don't know how bad he is, or if his abductors will get attention for him." Morgan didn't mean to imply that she was working too slowly. He was just very worried. He apologised again, and left her to it.

-0-0-0-

Maize put down her mug and poured some more tea.

"Top-up, Bren?"

"Not for me, Sis. I've got work to do!"

"Hang on a minute, don't start without me." She glanced over to where Aaron was hanging, dripping blood onto the floor. "Tell you what you can do though!" she said."You can wipe up the blood and put plastic down. We're going to need to wrap the body in plastic when he's dead. There'll be less to clear up if he bleeds onto it and not on the floor."

Bren smiled and nodded. She was the clever one, and he wasn't ashamed to admit it. He went out of the cabin, and returned with a roll of polythene. He cleaned up the pool of blood that had collected at Aaron's feet, cut off a length of plastic, and pushed it under his captive, shoving his legs out of the way as he did it.

The movement drew a cry from Aaron.

"So what do we do first, Sis?"

"You wake him up, and I'll get the tape ready. I want him to know why we're going to kill him."

Bren went up to the man hanging on the wall. He kicked his leg, and Aaron lifted his head and opened his eyes just enough to see. He didn't make a sound, but his breathing was becoming erratic, and he was crying.

Maize put a tape player on the table, and came to stand in front of Aaron next to her brother. Aaron forced his head to stay up, and opened his eyes wider.

"Who are...you, and what do you want ...from me?" he whispered, gasping between breaths.

Maize started talking, almost as if she was telling a story.

"Cast your mind back, Hotchner, twenty one years. Can you remember what you were doing?"

Hotch remained silent, refusing to play. Maize smacked his face, jerking his head sideways. Blood droplets sprayed from broken lips. He groaned softly as his neck cracked.

"I'll tell you then. You were a prosecutor. You had our Dad sent down for life for rape and murder." Maize was getting angrier as she spat the words. "Peter Harlan. Remember him?"

The case flashed through Aaron's mind. He had been an evil, but stupid UnSub. The case had not been difficult. What stood out in Aaron's mind was the wife, and the words she has hissed at him as he left the courtroom.

_I will kill you for taking the man I love away from me, you bastard. If it takes me my whole life, you will not win. I will kill you in the end!_

It wasn't so much the threat that had shaken the young prosecutor. He had been threatened before, and it just went over his head. It was the fact that she had flirted with him constantly through the investigation, she had worn overtly provocative clothes and touched him every chance she had got. During one interview she had actually kissed him before he realised what was happening and pushed her away. He rejected her.

"Yes." Aaron said softly. "I remember him. He deserved what he got. He was a murderer and rapist"

"That may well be true. But we care little for him." Bren said in a low tone.

"We care about his wife, though." continued Maize. "We want to talk about his beautiful gentle Marie. She died three weeks ago. Before she went, she recorded this little message for us. We thought you'd like to hear it." Maize picked up the tape player, and hit the play button.

-0-0-0-

Morgan was going through Hotch's case files, back to the time when he joined the BAU, and trying to match names with owners of Ford pickups in the Quantico area. He knew deep down that it was the longest of long shots. There were thousands of names, and they didn't really know if this was even connected to his BAU work. He sighed and rested his chin in his hands.

He thought back to the accident. No one knew that they were going out for lunch that day. It was a spur of the moment decision. So the UnSubs had to be watching him, waiting for an opportunity to act.

So possibly, they'd been hanging around the Federal Building for a while. And possibly Hotch's home, too.

Someone must have seen them!

He abandoned his piles of papers, and went up the steps to Rossi's office.

"Hey, man, I've got an idea." Morgan told Rossi about his theory.

"Ok, it's a lead, and we don't have many. Get as much local CCTV footage as you can, I'll collect what I can from around Aaron's house. We'll work through it together."

As Morgan exited Rossi's office, Emily came into the bullpen. "I've got Reid's descriptions here." she said.

Morgan told her what he and Rossi were going to do. "Take JJ and go door to door, and see if anyone recognises them." he said, looking at the pictures.

"They look alike, don't they?" Emily said. "I wondered if that was Reid's perception, or if they really are alike."

"Normally I'd say it's the perception of the witness, but this is Reid we're talking about. I don't think he'd do that." He put the drawings on the photocopier and made some prints. "I think they could be brother and sister."

"Well that would narrow the field. I'll call Reid and see what he thinks."

"Good idea." Morgan attached the pictures to the board.

Emily was already on the phone to Reid and heading up the stairs to JJ's office. Morgan went to his desk and started to retrieve the Bureau CCTV tapes.

-0-0-0-

_The man serving life is not your father. You were conceived during an affair I had with a Federal Prosecutor while Pete was being investigated. Your father's name is Aaron Hotchner. He made me pregnant with twins, and abandoned me to bring you up alone, even taking away the man who believed he was your father. I swore I would kill him. I leave that legacy for you, my children. My dying wish is for you to destroy the man who destroyed my life._

Maize switched off the player.

"So now do you know who we are?"

Aaron stared in shock. Slowly he shook his head in confusion, trying to think. Bren grabbed his hair again and pulled Aaron's face up to look at him. Aaron's closed his eyes, he was exhausted with shock and pain. Desperately he fought it, struggled to stay conscious.

"What do you have to say now, _father_." he said, his face inches from Aaron's_._

"I never had an...affair with your mother." he gasped. "I am not your father. If you let...me go... I can ...prove it." Aaron's breathing was jagged and painful.

He thought back to her words to him in the courtroom all those years ago...

_If it takes me my whole life, you will not win. I will kill you in the end! _

She was going to win. After twenty one years, she was going to kill him.


	5. Images

Chapter 5

Images

**A/N I've had a request from 'martina aka the Celt' for more Spence. I'll do my best, Sweetie!**

Spencer walked into the bullpen and went to his desk to retrieve his glasses. He went up the stairs and knocked on Rossi's office door. Rossi called him in, and he and Morgan looked at him in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Morgan said, taking in the dressing on his temple and the bandage around his head. His hair was sticking out, making him look like some weird sixties drop-out.

"I discharged myself." he said. "Do you think I could sit there on my own while Hotch is missing? I need to be here."

"You're not going out in the field." Rossi said. "You can stay and help us with this, but you will have to stay here where we can keep an eye on you."

"Any arguing, and I will drive you back myself." Morgan was glad Reid was there to help, but he was concerned for him.

Spencer sat down with the others and put on his glasses.

-0-0-0-

Emily and JJ were showing the two pictures to the sales assistant in a news agents round the corner.

"Yes, I've seen these two, the woman mostly." He handed the pictures back to JJ. "She came in most days for cigarettes and bottled water." He turned to the cigarette display and took a pack down. "This is what she bought. Twenty Camels, every day." He put the pack on the counter. "Sometimes he came in with her, but not very often. Why? What have they done?"

"We need to speak to them concerning the abduction of a Federal Agent." Emily passed a card to the man. "They could be important witnesses. If either one of them comes back in, please call me."

He nodded, looking at the card

JJ added, "If you can think of anything, anything at all that you can remember about them, please let us know. It could be significant."

As they turned to leave, the man called them back. "There is something else!"

Emily and JJ turned back to the counter, where the man was searching through some papers.

"Sometimes they sat in their car right outside the shop. It was getting in the way of my delivery van, and I had to ask them to move." He found what he was looking for, and handed the paper to JJ with a smile. "I got their plate, just in case there was trouble."

"That's wonderful!" JJ said, feeling that this could be a break.

"Thank you very much." Emily added. "You have been a great help."

-0-0-0-

Emily called the number to Garcia, praying that it wasn't another stolen car.

"Our UnSubs have been seen sitting in this car. We're on our way back now. Tell us when we get there."

The car was registered to a Marie Masefield of Fayette City, Pennsylvania. While she waited for Emily and JJ to get back, Garcia made some enquiries about Marie Masefield.

By the time her colleagues did get back to the BAU, she had a fair bit of information for them.

"Marie Masefield, died three weeks ago of ovarian cancer, aged forty two. She died at the Hospice of Central Pennsylvania October eighteenth. Her home address was in Fayette City. She had two children, twins, Mary and Brendan Masefield, nowaged twenty, but their father's name is not on the birth certificate. She never got married. She was a known associate of Peter Harlan, rapist and murderer, serving life in Wallens Ridge State Prison." She handed a sheet of paper to Emily. "And guess who the prosecutor was!"

"Hotch!" breathed JJ.

"This is the break!" Emily said.

"I'll get the others in the conference room." JJ said.

The team sat silently as Garcia told them what she had discovered. Reid pulled up a transcript of the trial, and read out to the others the threat that Masefield had made to Hotch.

"In ninety three percent of cases, these threats come to nothing. In the other seven percent of cases, the threat is usually carried out in the first year. Twenty one years is unheard of."

"Until now." added Rossi. "Morgan, Prentiss, come with me."

Reid objected. "I need to come."

Rossi shook his head. "I said no field work. These tapes still need checking." He turned to Morgan. "Let's go."

Reid watched them go crossly. Garcia put her arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, Genius G-Man. I need your help with these surveillance tapes."

Reid sighed and went with Garcia up to Rossi's office. They sat down in front of the computer screen.

"We can narrow the field now. We know what car to look for." said Reid, settling unhappily into his new task. "Should make it a little easier." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. His head was aching and he was getting double vision.

"You ok?" said Garcia looking at him. He looked pale, even more than usual, and the dark shadows around his eyes looked deeper than ever.

"I...erm...don't feel so good, Garcia. I think I need a break." He stood up on wobbly legs. "I'm going to lie down. Concussion probably."

"Derek gave me strict orders to take care of you, Sweet Cheeks. Any symptoms and I'm to drive you back to the Potomac."

"I'm fine, and there's far too much to do here. I just need a rest."

"Ok. I'll come and check on you in ten minutes. I'm still trying to track the pickup by satellite." said Garcia. She watched him go with concern in her eyes. She would be much happier if he would go back to the hospital, but she knew he would never go. Not with Hotch missing.

-0-0-0-

Bren held Aaron's head up while Maize held up a photograph for him to see. Aaron's vision was blurred and his eyes hurt, but he recognised the picture instantly.

_Jack!_

It was a grainy picture of him kneeling in the car park holding his son.

_Oh god Jacky! Oh no!_

"Seems you make a habit of deserting your children, Hotchner." Bren said. "When we have finished with you, we will go and introduce ourselves to our little brother."

"Don't you...go near my son...Don't you touch him!" Aaron gasped, fear punctuating every word.

Aaron felt sick with fright. Uselessly he pulled at the ropes holding him. He needed to protect his little boy, he needed to get away. He struggled with impotent rage at the thought of them going near his son.

"Shut up!" Maize made a fist and punched him in the solar plexus, taking his breath away and putting an end to his frenzied efforts to free himself.

"I don't know what you think you are doing." she said, as Aaron curled forward, trying to take a breath. "Even if you do manage to get free of the ropes, I can't see you walking anywhere!"

Aaron raised his head and looked at the twins with frightened eyes. He wanted to beg and plead for Jack. Offer his life, do anything to keep them away, but he couldn't take a breath, couldn't speak, or even move as his lungs fought for breath.

_Please, not my Jacky...please don't touch my son..._

Aaron at last was able to breathe again, and he cried for his helplessness and his inability to protect the only truly good thing in his life.

"Please," he sobbed, "Please don't hurt him..."

Bren and Maize left him, and went to the stove to smoke and eat something.

He hung shivering from the ropes, head down, tears and blood splashing onto the plastic that was to become his shroud.

-0-0-0-

_**Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. Elizabeth Stone **_


	6. Searching

Chapter 6

Searching

"_**One should die proudly when it is no longer possible to live proudly."**____** Friedrich Nietzsche**_

It was a good two hours drive to Fayette City. When Rossi parked the SUV a little way down the road from Masefield's last known address, it was early morning. Hotch had been missing for fifteen hours, and Rossi was very worried now.

They climbed out of the car and crept up to the house, guns drawn. Rossi indicated for Emily to take the back, he and Morgan went to the front door.

"FBI!" Rossi yelled, his voice loud in the quiet suburban air. There was no sound from inside. Rossi stood back while Morgan kicked the door open.

They entered the house, Rossi facing forward, Morgan covering his back. The house was dark and quiet. Rossi checked the room in front of them; Morgan checked the kitchen to the right. Both rooms were clear. Upstairs the bedrooms and bathroom were clear. Emily checked the back of the house, and Morgan unlocked the back door for her.

The house was tidy and clean, and deserted. If the twins had lived there since their mother died, there were no signs.

The three agents checked everything that could indicate that Hotch had been there, but there was nothing. Morgan and Emily went into the basement but all there was down there were a few boxes of china and some clothes.

They went back up and joined Rossi in the living room.

"Hotch was never here." Rossi said, looking through papers in a desk in what appeared to be a study corner. "But there might be a clue as to where they have taken him." He looked at his colleagues with worried eyes. "I want this place gone through with a fine tooth comb. Check everything. Time's running out."

-0-0-0-

Reid wasn't sleeping. He was lying in the lounge on a couch with his right arm over his eyes, thinking. Hotch had been missing for fifteen hours, and the call from Rossi confirmed that their best lead was a dead end.

There had been no contact from the kidnappers, no ransom demand, no-one claiming responsibility. This was definitely personal, there was no statutory limitation on revenge.

He uncovered his eyes and blinked in the light. His head seemed to have cleared. Mostly, anyway. He got up and made his way back to Garcia.

"Perfect timing, Babe!" she said as he entered her space. "I think I may have found the pickup on satellite!"

Reid sat beside her and looked at the screen. She pointed to a grey smudgy image of a truck driving out of Quantico.

"Cant you get a better picture than that?" asked Reid.

Even before he had finished speaking, Garcia had cleaned up the image, and Spencer had a good view of the truck. He could see something on the flatbed.

"I'm pretty sure that's the truck." Reid said. "I can't be a hundred percent certain without the plate, but I'm about ninety five percent sure."

"That's good odds." Garcia said. "I'm going to try to follow it. All I can say at the moment is that it's leaving Quantico and travelling west. Fayette City is to the north. If this is the right truck I'm following, then they didn't take Hotch to Fayette."

-0-0-0-

The twins had left Aaron alone for a few hours while they slept. Aaron drifted in and out of consciousness, blood loss keeping him under, pain and fear for his child keeping him awake. His left leg was numb now. The pain had reached a peak, and his brain had cut off feeling. His other leg hurt though, every time he moved, even to breathe, the excruciating waves of pain flooded his body. If he looked down he could see the un-natural bend in his shins, and the lump where the bone broke through his skin. It was no longer white, but covered in dirt and mud from outside. Unless they killed him very soon, he guessed he would feel the affects of infection. He thought it unlikely that he would walk again, even if he should survive.

But he had to survive. When he died, they were going for Jack. He couldn't die. He had to make it.

A hand grasping his chin, lifting his face up. Slowly he opened his eyes. Bren was standing in front of him. In his hand he held a knife.

"Time for the next session!" he said, pressing the tip of the blade below his neck between the collar bones.

Aaron tried to pull away from him, but the pain in his legs prevented any movement. He held his breath and waited.

Bren smiled at him and pressed the blade into Aaron's skin. Aaron gasped as blood soaked into the collar of his shirt. Bren pulled Aaron's clothes away from his skin, and pulled the blade downwards, cutting through his shirt and jacket. Then he cut from the side of his neck, along the top of his sleeves. He pulled at the stiff bloody fabric, and removed Aaron's clothes, leaving his chest bare and vulnerable.

Aaron's arms had been protected from the harsh ropes up until now. He had been able to hold his weight off his legs without too much pain in his arms. This tiny measure of comfort was now gone. The rough bindings cut into the delicate skin of his underarms. He felt warm blood run down his sides. He whimpered as new pain left him crying for relief, wishing for death but praying to live.

He opened his eyes and looked into Bren's face.

"Please..." he whispered. "Please don't hurt my son..."

Bren hit Aaron across the face with the back of his hand, jerking his head to the side. Aaron didn't think he could hurt any more, but as his body rocked, he felt the agony of both his legs, and the rope tore into his underarms, ripping into muscle and cutting to the bone like a serrated blade. He cried out, the sound of his distress echoing through the silent woodland.

"Maize has a surprise for you. She is going to be writing something!" Bren said, looking pleased. "You are going to die for ruining Mum's life. She was a good woman, and she died inside when you left her."

"Please, you...have to ...believe...me. I am...not your...father..." Aaron said softly, painfully. "I didn't sleep...with your mother." Aaron sobbed. "DNA can...prove it. Please...let me prove...it to you."

Bren held the blade against the side of Aaron's nose.

"Shut up, you bastard." he said, pressing the knife. "Our mother was a beautiful woman, and you destroyed her." He turned away from Aaron and called to his sister. "You ready for this, Maize?"

Maize came and stood in front of her captive. "I'm ready." she said, taking the knife off her brother. She pulled up Aaron's head, grasping at his hair. She looked into his eyes.

"But is he ready?" she said. "Hold his head up, Bren. I want to see his face."

"I've got an idea!" Bren said, and went to the drawer under the sink. He came back with a length of rope, a hammer and some nails. "This will hold his head up!"

Bren knotted the rope, and nailed it to the wall beside Aaron's neck. He tightened the rope across his throat, and nailed the end to the other side.

Aaron had to hold his head up now otherwise he would be throttled.

"What are you...going to do?"

Maize dug the knife into the upper right of Aaron's chest and pulled down. The shallow wound gushed blood and Aaron felt sick. She stuck the point in again, and began to carve.

Aaron couldn't struggle, but he screamed.

"Get the blood off, Bren. I can't see what I'm doing!"

Aaron gasped as cold water was thrown at him, washing the blood from his wounded chest. When she started to cut again, Aaron fainted.

The ropes ripped further into his skin, and his throat began to bleed and soak the rope with scarlet.


	7. Race Against Time

Chapter 7

Race Against Time

"_**We are healed from suffering only by experiencing it to the full."**____** Marcel Proust **_

"Can you follow the satellite images from the SUV?"

Garcia looked at Reid, understanding at once.

"It will take a minute or two to transfer everything to the lap top, but yes. I can!"

She booted up the lap top while Spencer shuffled from one foot to the other, anxious to get going. He picked up Garcia's phone and called Rossi.

"We've found the truck on satellite. We are going to follow it in the car. As soon as we have a location, I'll call you."

Reid quickly put the phone down before Rossi could reiterate the 'no fieldwork' rule. He raised his eyebrows at Garcia.

"Done." she said.

"Come on. " He glanced at his watch. "Sixteen hours. We've go to hurry."

Garcia snapped the lap top closed, and they both ran for the lift.

-0-0-0-

"Reid!" shouted Rossi at the phone in annoyance.

"What's happened?" Morgan asked, guessing the answer.

"Reid and Garcia have gone after the UnSubs on their own!" he said. "They are tracking the truck on satellite."

"Do they have an address then?" asked Emily, getting into the back of the SUV.

"No. They're using the lap top to track. They don't know where it was going yet."

Morgan sighed in frustration. They had had high hopes for the address in Fayette and there was nothing there. No clues, nothing. They had concluded that no one had lived there for a few weeks. And now Reid, who should be in hospital, and Garcia, not a field agent, were going after the UnSubs on their own! It meant if they found the UnSubs and didn't wait for back up; Reid would be taking them on alone.

"Which direction are they taking?"

"He didn't say. He cut the connection before I could tell him not to go. We have one agent missing. I don't want another putting himself in danger."

Morgan speed dialled Reid. "Reid and Hotch are very close. Short of tying him to his chair, I don't think you would be able to stop him from going."

Rossi sighed. "Yeah. I know!" He started the engine.

Morgan was talking to Reid. "West from Quantico. When we are closer, I'll call again so we can back you up. We've got a couple of hours drive though...And Reid, keep Garcia in the car...and don't do anything until we get there...well be careful then! Remember you should be in hospital, not mounting rescue missions...I know you do...just be careful!"

He cut the connection and turned to Rossi. "Let's go, and quickly!"

-0-0-0-

"They took the 66, then went south on the 81. Easy enough to follow at first." Garcia said as Spence burnt rubber leaving the ramp. "We can go across country, and pick up the 66 at Haymarket."

Wordlessly, hands white on the wheel, Reid took the road out of Quantico towards Haymarket. He didn't need directions, he knew these roads perfectly.

"It looks as if they left the 81." Garcia said, trying to hold the laptop still as Reid took corners faster than was strictly legal. "I've lost them!"

She held the laptop and typed one handed. "There is only one turning between where I last had them, and where they disappeared." She looked up from the screen. "There's a whole lot of nothing out there."

"Relay what we've got to Morgan."

Reid turned left onto the 66 and put his foot down. Garcia clutched the handle. He glanced across at her.

"Holding that won't save you!"

She forced her fingers to let go. "Guess not." She turned back to the screen. "It's all woodland out there. A perfect place to hide."

"Are there any cabins up there? Old deserted buildings? Anything at all?"

"I'll have to do a grid search, Spence." she answered. "I'm on it!"

-0-0-0-

"Route 81." Morgan said. "We can cut across and save some time." He reprogrammed the GPS.

"How far away are we?" Emily asked, leaning forward between the seats.

"A good hour." Rossi said, "Depending on the traffic. It'll be mid day by the time we get on the 81."

"That'll be twenty four hours." she said. She didn't need to say any more. They both knew what she was thinking. Rossi eased his foot down on the accelerator. Morgan said a silent prayer that they would make it in time.

-0-0-0-

"Wake him up, Bren. It's no good if he's asleep!"

The cold water hit Aaron's face and he jerked awake, inhaling deeply as the agony swept over him again. He gasped for breath as he breathed in water. Coughing and choking, he threw up as he struggled for breath.

Maize jumped back, dropping the knife. Raising a fist she struck him again on the cheek.

"Don't do that again!" she yelled. Picking up the knife she dug it into Aaron's flesh again and cut a curve.

Aaron was beyond screaming. Blood loss and shock was too much for him. He looked at his tormentors and tried to speak.

_I don't care about my life. It's not important. But please, don't hurt my baby..._

The words wouldn't form, and he cried with fear for his child. Slowly his eyes closed, and his head fell forwards against the biting rope at his neck. He knew if he passed out and they didn't revive him, he would die. But he was too weak to fight it.

He watched Jack playing on the swings, heard his amazing laugh, kissed his soft hair ...and darkness enshrouded him. And he didn't think of anything any more.

Maize carried on with her work, wiping the blood away after each cut. The letters were forming. She wanted him to see this.

"I think he's dead." said Bren. He tried to feel for a pulse on Aaron's cold blur wrist. "No pulse. He's dead."

"Damn!" she shouted. "I didn't finish!"

"Is there any point in carrying on?" he said. "He'll never see it now."

"No." said Maize. She felt cheated, but there was nothing she could do about it. Maybe they should not have been so rough at the beginning.

She had no idea he would be so fragile.

She handed the knife to her brother. "Cut him down and wrap him up. We can go for the kid now."

Bren sliced the ropes holding Aaron's arms. Then he pushed his head up out of the way and cut the rope at the side of his head. The rope had deeply cut into the flesh of his neck and Bren felt a little sick as he tried to pull it out. He cut the rope on the other side, leaving it embedded in his throat, and let Aaron's body fall onto the plastic. He pressed his arms to his side, and rolled the body in the plastic, holding it together with duct tape.

"Do we take it with us, Maize, or leave it here?"

"We'll leave it for now." she said. "We can bring the kid back here and show him, then we'll burn the place down. That way there'll be no evidence."

Bren smiled, and kicked the wrapped body on the floor. All the blood and fluids had collected in the plastic. The place was pretty clean. "I'll shove the body in the cupboard, though. Just in case anyone comes in."

Maize smiled indulgently at her brother. There was no need, but if it made him feel better, then why not?

"Ok, that's a good idea." she said. "Do you need help?"

He shook his head as he opened the kitchen cupboard. "I can manage." he said, delighted that his clever sister had praised him. He picked up the bundle around the middle and dragged it over to the cupboard. He pushed Aaron's body into the corner, and closed the door quickly before it could fall out.

"If anyone opens the cupboard, it will fall on them." he laughed.

"Ok, Bro, lets go get the kid!"

Locking the door behind them, they left the cabin and got into the truck.


	8. Time Enough

Chapter 8

Time Enough

_**"No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence." - George Eliot**_

"There are a few isolated cottages and cabins in that area." Garcia said, hanging onto the handle. "I've lost the truck in the trees."

"We'll have to check them all." Reid said.

"Ok. I've made a grid so we don't miss any." She tapped the grid of the first one into the SatNav. "We're almost at the turn onto the 81. It's not too far now."

Spencer gripped the wheel harder. He felt sick and dizzy, but he wasn't about to say so. He had to get to Aaron. And quickly.

-0-0-0-

"We'll take the car, Bren. It'll be less conspicuous outside a school." They ran round to the back of the cabin where a stolen Toyota Camry was hidden under some tree branches. Maize opened the boot and retrieved a set of false plates she had had made for this purpose. She attached them, and got in the car. Bren got in beside her, and she reversed the car out of its hiding place.

"This is the address of the school." said Maize, handing Bren a sheet of paper."I don't actually know where it is, but if you could direct me. The map book is in the glove box."

Bren leaned forward and got the map. He quickly found the page. He might be dumb, but maps were his forté. He was good at this and he was delighted to be useful.

-0-0-0

"I like it here." said Haley, her hands gripped around the coffee cup. "When I get my money, I think I'll get a place around here."

"It would be nice to have you live near by." said Jessica. "I could help with Jack. But it's early days to be looking at houses. Haley. "

She glanced at her watch. "I don't have to collect him from nursery for a while. " She picked up the local paper from the table and turned to the 'houses for sale' section. "Look here, there are some really nice places I could buy, really close to here. I could make a nice home for me and Jack...and who knows? Maybe a nice reliable man!"

"Haley, don't jump the gun. It could be a long time before you get any money!"

"I don't think so." Haley answered. "Aaron just signs whatever my solicitor sends him. It won't be long. I promise you that!" She turned the paper round so that Jessica could see the picture of the house she liked. "If we go collect Jack now, we could walk the long way round and look at the house from the outside."

"Haley, it will be long gone by the time you get your money. What's the point in looking?"

"I just want to see what's available." she said, getting up and slipping on her jacket. "You coming?"

"I'll stay here." she answered."I think you are wrong to be doing this."

"Please yourself!" Haley said angrily, opening the door. "I thought you would be on my side in this!"

"I am not taking sides!" Jessica shouted back. "You are my sister, but I like Aaron. I don't want to take sides!"

Haley slammed the door and stalked off down the path.

-0-0-0-

Morgan shut his phone. "Garcia has found several places where they could be holding Hotch." he said. "We know where we are heading. They are on the 81 now, so they are going to get there well ahead of us."

Rossi didn't speak, just kept driving.

-0-0-0-

"The turn off is three miles ahead on the right." said Garcia. She didn't like the look of Spencer. He looked ill, and his driving was erratic. "Shall I drive for a bit?"

"I'm ok." he said. "And I don't want to stop."

"There's the turning!" Garcia pointed to the right. Reid took it without slowing down. He drove over some undergrowth and swerved round a tree.

"Reid!" Garcia held her breath as Reid found the track.

He ignored her. "Right, where's the first place to check?"

"Turn left in half a mile, then there's a place a mile down the drive."

Reid took the turning. He couldn't drive as fast along here. The terrain was too rough. As they reached the end of the drive, they saw a house with kids playing outside. A woman was sitting at a table smoking a cigarette. He stopped the car.

"Wait here." he said to Garcia, and got out of the car. The woman stood up and walked to the fence to meet him.

"Can I help you?"

"I hope so." Reid said. He introduced himself and showed her his ID. "Do you recognise either of these two people?" He showed her the pictures of the twins.

She took the pictures and studied them carefully. "No, I don't think I do." she said. "My husband may be able to help, he knows a lot of the people around here. He's a forest ranger. But he's not due home until six thirty. Maybe you could come back then?"

"Thank you for your help. I may call back later."

Reid raced back to the car. "Next one."

"Back up the drive, then left again."

"We might have to go back there and speak to the husband. He's back after six thirty." Reid said, turning left. "Where now?"

"Two miles, then right."

They didn't speak as Reid drove a little faster than was safe up to the next turning. A mile up the drive they came to the next place on Garcia's grid. The place was a ruin, long burnt down.

"It's not here." Reid said, turning the car without stopping. He was starting to feel panicky. Garcia rested her hand on his arm.

"We're doing the best we can." she said. "Just keep calm, and we'll find him."

"I know you are right. I just don't want to be too late."

She squeezed his arm and went back to her screen.

"I know, Sweet Cheeks. I know."

"How far to the next one?" he asked, turning right onto the main track.

"A bit further this time. Three and a half miles along here, then a mile left. The road's not straight though."

The car jumped and bounced over the rutted track. Reid had frightening thoughts of Aaron, with his injuries, being driven over this road. He felt sick with worry.

_Aaron, where ever you are, just hold on. We are coming for you...hold on!_

Reid slowed down as the cabin came into view. Outside was the pick up. He backed down the track a short way and reversed into the trees.

Garcia looked at Reid wide eyed.

"This is it, isn't it?"

"Yeah. That's the pick up." He undid his seat belt and opened the door. "Tell Morgan where we are."

"You can't go in without back up, Reid!"

Reid drew his gun.

"I'm not sitting out here while my friend is in danger in there!" he said shakily. "Stay here, Pen. Don't follow me."

She watched him go to the door of the cabin, gun drawn, knees bent ready for action. She called Morgan and told him where they were. They were still at least thirty minutes away.

"Tell Reid to wait for back up. Call the local cops."

"He's already gone, I couldn't stop him. I'll call the PD now."

She cut the connection and dialled the local police.

-0-0-0-

Reid approached the door.

"FBI! Open the door." He tried the handle, and the door opened.

It was dark inside. He shone his torch around the single room. There was no one there.

There were traces of blood by the door. It looked as if Aaron had been lying there for a while, then moved.

Stepping inside, he saw ropes hanging from the beams by the wall opposite the door He shone the torch straight ahead. There was very little blood on the floor, and marks where something had been cleaned up. But there was a lot of blood on the wall, and pools where it run down and soaked into the bare boards.

_Oh my god! Hotch!_

"Aaron!" Reid shouted. "Hotch! Where are you?"

There was a cupboard in the corner of the kitchen area. Reid shone his torch at the floor in front of it.

Nothing.

He ran to the cupboard and pulled open the door.

The body that fell from the cupboard was wrapped in plastic and taped with Duct tape. Reid could see Hotch's face, pale and bloody, through the plastic.

"Hotch! Oh my god, Hotch!"

Reid tore at the plastic and ripped it off him. Aaron's body was limp and cold. In a blind panic, Spencer pulled the wrapping off his body and held him. Aaron's arms hung loosely by his side, his head dropped forwards.

"Oh Aaron!" Reid lifted his head up. His eyes were closed, his lips cut and broken. Dried blood around his nose and mouth, and then he saw the rope dug into his neck.

"Oh what have they done to you?"

He hugged his friend's body close and tight. Tears sprang from Spencer's eyes as he felt for signs of life with trembling hands.


	9. A Game Of Happy Families

Chapter 9

A Game of Happy Families

"_**Where tears fall and laughter melts hearts, there is where I love" - Anon**_

"Garcia, I need you in here!" Reid dropped his phone and wrapped his arm back around Hotch, burying his face in his bloody and dirty hair. His tears soaked Aaron's hair and Reid tasted blood as he spoke softly to him. He placed his fingers on Aaron's neck, desperately hoping for a pulse, but his hands were shaking so much, he wasn't able to detect one.

He thought he could feel a sluggish rise and fall to his chest, but he needed help to be sure.

Then door swung open and Garcia ran into the room. She stopped short when she saw what was before her.

"Oh my god." she breathed, and knelt beside Spencer. "What have they done?"

"Pen, I can't feel a pulse! Help me find a pulse! He must be alive! Help me!" Reid was becoming hysterical. Gently Garcia pulled Aaron from his grasp and laid him on the floor. She drew in a shuddering breath when she saw the ropes embedded in his throat and under his arms. She began to cry as she searched for a pulse. She looked up at Spencer.

"I've found it." she said, fighting back the tears. "Very weak, but it's there."

Reid had his mobile out, and was calling the air ambulance. "Please hurry. I don't know how long he can hold on!"

He closed his phone and put a hand on Aaron's forehead bushing his hair to one side, feeling an overwhelming love for this man.

_Don't die, Aaron. I need you..._

"Stay with us, Hotch. Help is on its way."

Garcia looked around for something to loosen the ropes with. There was a knife on the floor, which she picked up. Carefully, trying not to damage Aaron's skin any more than it already was, she cut the ropes around his elbows. The skin underneath was burnt and bleeding. She tenderly removed the rope and threw it to one side.

Those under his arms were deeply embedded in his skin. There was too much blood for her to see what she was doing, so she just cut the loop on his shoulder, releasing the pressure.

Garcie took one of Aaron's cold swollen hands. Softly she rubbed his hand between hers. Very slowly, Aaron's fingers curled around hers.

"He's holding my hand, Reid! He's moving!"

"Aaron!" Spencer said softly. "Aaron, if you can hear me, just hold on. Help is on its way..."

Reid took his other hand in one of his, and gently stroked his face, to let him know they were there, and wouldn't leave him. He felt tears again as he turned to Garcia.

"Pen, call Morgan and tell him we've got Hotch."

She picked up Reid's phone from the floor and speed dialled Morgan.

"We've found him, Babe. He's very badly hurt. I'll send you the co-ordinates." She listened to Morgan for a second or two. "Hurry, Derek. I don't know if he's going to make it." She started ct cry and passed the phone to Reid.

"It's bad, Morgan." he said, his voice catching as he fought back the sobs. "Very bad."

He closed the phone and dropped it again. He moved to sit with Aaron's shoulders supported on his thighs, and his head on his abdomen. He continually stroked his face and hair with trembling fingers, and massaged his cold blue hand.

_You are going to be fine, Aaron. I promise...you have to be. We need you..._

-0-0-0

A couple of miles from the school, they changed round so that Bren was driving. Maize sat in the back. They pulled up about fifty yards from the building. They knew that the children weren't allowed out until the teachers could see the parent. Some Mums were already outside the gates waiting for their offspring.

"I can't see the Hotchner woman. Can you?"

Maize scanned the little group. "No, I can't." she said. "The kids are starting to come out now."

"There she is!" Bren said, pointing behind them.

She was walking towards the school, looking up, watching for Jack. When she was almost at the car, Jack spotted her, and the teacher released him. He ran along the path towards his mother.

When he had almost reached her, Maize swung open her door hard into Haley. She was bending down to embrace him, the door smacked into her face and she fell back with a grunt.

At the same time, Maize wrapped her arm around the little boy's waist, and pulled him into the car. She slammed the door shut.

"Drive, Bren!"

Haley was on her feet, pulling at the doors. Jacks little hands were on the glass.

"Mummy!" He smacked his hands on the window. Haley realised that the doors were locked. She ran to the front of the car.

"Go, Bren, never mind her, just drive!"

Bren put the gear into drive, and ignored the woman standing in front of the car. She grabbed hold of the bonnet, and clung on as Bren drove the car away from the school.

"Damn!" he shouted . "Get off the bloody car!"

He was doing about fifty miles an hour when she finally slipped off the front of the car and rolled into the road.

Bren didn't pay any attention to her, but Maize watched as oncoming cars tried to avoid hitting her, and failed.

The little boy sitting beside her began to cry.

"Want Mummy!" he wailed, little balled fists rubbing at his eyes. "Where Mummy gone?"

Maize put her arm around him.

"Don't worry about Mummy, little'un. We are your big brother and sister, and we are taking you to see Daddy."

Instantly, a smile appeared on his tear stained face. "Daddy!" he said. "Love Daddy!"

"Do you?" she said, smiling. She dabbed at the child's eyes with a tissue. "I'm afraid there's not much left to love."

She drew his little body closer and ruffled his hair affectionately.

-0-0-0-

"We're fifteen minutes away, Doll. Hold on!"

"It's awful, Derek. They've really hurt him."

He could hear her crying. "I can see the Air-Ambulance coming overhead. They'll be with you in a minute. We'll be just behind them, Baby Girl." He was aware that she had called him Derek. That scared him.

Rossi turned off the 81 onto the woodland track.

-0-0-0-

Garcia pulled the rest of plastic off Aaron, so that when the 'medics arrived, they would be able to work. She gasped when she saw the letters carved on his chest.

"Look, Reid. B...A...S..." She looked up at Reid. "They didn't finish. Why do you think they stopped there?"

"Thought he was dead, probably." Reid said. "Thank god they did stop."

He thought for a moment of the lifelong humiliation of having the word scarred into your skin for the rest of your life. He looked over at Aaron's legs.

"His legs were broken in the crash." he said. "They look bad."

The sound of the chopper rotors broke the silence, and within seconds the 'medics were kneeling by Hotch.

"Do you need me to move?" Reid asked as Garcia stood up and stepped away.

"No, you stay there." the woman, whose name badge declared 'Judith', answered. "Just feeling the presence of someone familiar can often work wonders."

She looked closely at the ropes. "These will have to come off in the OR." she said.

Very gently they lifted Aaron's inert body onto a stretcher, and carried him out. Reid followed closely. They reached the door just as the others arrived.

Rossi took Aaron's hand.

"You'll make it, Hotch. Don't stop fighting."

He went with Reid and Hotch to the chopper. Morgan and Emily went inside to Garcia.

The sound of a phone ringing stopped them in their tracks.

Morgan took his out. "It's not mine."

"Nor mine." said Garcia.

Emily shook her head.

"It's around here somewhere. Find it!" Morgan said, following the sound. Opening a drawer in the kitchen area, he took out Hotch's guns, and his phone. He answered it.

"This is Agent Derek Morgan. Agent Hotchner is unable to come to the phone just now. Can I help you?"

For a full minute he listened. Then slowly, his hand dropped to his side.

"Oh my god..." he whispered.

"What is it, Morgan?" Emily asked. "What's happened?"

"Jack has been snatched from outside his school. Haley tried to stop them taking him." Morgan's eyes were wide with shock.

"Haley's dead."


	10. Family Outing

Chapter 10

Family Outing

_**Aristotle said, "There was never a genius without a tincture of madness." **_

"I'll let Rossi know." Emily said, running outside. It was possible that the twins were going to bring Jack back here. If that was so, then they had to wait for them.

Rossi was about to get into the helicopter with Aaron. He stepped down when he saw Emily running out of the cabin. She told him about the phone call. He turned to the 'medics.

"I can't travel with him." he said, handing Judith his card. "I need to know of any change, anything, in his condition. And I need to know where you are taking him as soon as you know."

Judith looked a little taken aback by what he said. "You mean no-one's going to ride with him?"

"Lady, this is the FBI. We can't always have what we want!" Rossi climbed into the chopper and took his friend's hand. Again, Aaron responded to the gesture. So he could probably hear him.

"Hotch, I can't travel to the hospital with you." he said gently, touching the injured man's face. "We will all be there just as soon as we can. Hang on in there, Aaron. Just don't die on us!"

Giving his hand a final squeeze, he jumped down off the chopper, and bending forward, he went back into the cabin. Morgan was talking to a cop at the scene.

"What the hell is this? First Hotch, now Jack?" Rossi ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Was it the same UnSubs?"

"Description matches." said Morgan, looking up from his phone. "Seems so."

"This whole thing must be connected with his family in some way." Emily said. "Not just revenge for their father."

"They just ran Haley down, didn't even slow." said Morgan. "Bradley Masefield was driving. It wasn't an accident."

"So what have we got?" Rossi asked, pulling out a chair and sitting on it backwards, leaning forwards on the chair back.

"They are organised. This took some planning." said Spencer, worry clear in his voice.

"They are bold, snatching a kid in broad daylight in front of witnesses!" Emily said.

"Bold or stupid." Morgan said. "They either think that what they are doing is right, in which case they are psychopaths..."

"Or they don't care if they are caught." said Reid.

"They didn't dump the body. That tells me they are coming back here." said Rossi.

"So we'd better be ready for them." Reid said.

"We have a little over an hour, that is assuming they are coming straight back here.

"Get everything back where it was. We don't want them to know we've been here until we want them too." Rossi said, replacing the chair.

Emily bundled the plastic back in the cupboard, and cleaned up Aaron's blood that had run off it onto the floor. Morgan put Aaron's guns in his pocket. There was no need to be giving them that advantage. He passed his mobile to Rossi, who switched it to silent, and pocketed it.

"Right, ideally, I want two of us inside and two outside." Rossi looked around. "There isn't really a safe hiding place for two."

"I'll stay inside." said Reid. "It's dark in here. Even if they light the lamp, light won't reach me here." He went and stood with his back to the corner opposite the door, next to the hanging ropes. There was a heavy old chest of drawers that cast a shadow over the corner. He was virtually invisible.

"Garcia," Rossi turned to her. She hadn't moved or spoken since Hotch had been taken out. "Garcia, are you alright?"

"Erm...yes, I think so." The shock was still evident on her face.

"Ok, Garcia, I want you to hide the cars." he said. "Ours is right out side. Drive it further up the drive where they won't see it. Then go back for yours and hide it in the woods. We don't want them to suspect anything." Rossi gave her his keys.

"Ok. Thank you." She gave Rossi a trembley smile. "I called the PD when we first got here. Should I ask them to stay away now?"

"Yes. We don't want them crashing in and putting the child in danger."

Garcia ran out to move the cars, dialling her mobile as she went.

Morgan looked at his watch. "Fifteen minutes minimum until they get here. Although I would think they'd drive within the law. They won't want to be stopped with Jack in the car."

They heard Garcia drive away in Rossi's SUV.

"That poor little boy. He's lost his Mum today. He could still lose his Dad." Emily had tears in her eyes. She wasn't compartmentalising so well today. But that was probably because all her compartments were getting mixed up. She wiped the tears away.

"He won't lose his Dad, Emily. Hotch is tough. He'll make it." said Morgan, although he was thinking the same and he suspected the others were too.

"Ok, Reid, you stay there. Let's find ourselves a hiding place ready." Rossi said. The others followed.

Rossi's phone rang. It was the hospital. Rossi opened the phone, not sure if he wanted to hear what they had to say.

It was the surgeon. They were just about to take Aaron into the OR.

"The coma is probably caused by blood loss and shock. When the volume expanders have time to work, he may come round. Shock is difficult to predict. He may lose his right leg. There is a lot of damage, but we'll do our best. I'm afraid you must prepare yourselves for the worst."

"How long will he be in theatre? I need to know when to call back."

"Give us four hours. Try then."

The doctor cut the connection, and Rossi put his phone away.

"He's going in to theatre now." Rossi said to the others. "We will have to wait for now."

-0-0-0-

"Need wee-wee." Jack said, clearly getting distressed.

"Crap!" said Bren, who was now sitting in the back with the kid. "What do we do? I don't want him messing up my car!"

Maize sighed. "Hold it in, Jack. We're almost there."

"See Daddy?"

"Yes, see Daddy."

The child sat back against the seat. Daddy would help him. Daddy was strong. Daddy loved him. He sat and thought about cuddles from Daddy.

The car turned off the road and drove into the woods.

Now that Hotchner was dead, she thought, and his horrible wife was splatted all over the road, they would raise the kid. He was after all their brother, and both parents were gone. They could be a proper family. She could pretend to be Mum, and Bren could be Dad.

"It's going to be fun being a family, Bren."

He smiled. "Yeah! Daddy-Bren!"

"Maybe we could have some kids of out own." Maize said. Bren smiled.

_Yeah! A real family!_

They pulled up outside the cabin. Maize opened the glove box and got out her gun – a tiny point two five. She got out, and opened the door for Jack. She picked him up and carried him towards the door.

Bren opened the door and they went inside, closing the door behind them.

Rossi ran to the door with Prentiss, and sent Morgan around the back.

Rossi used a mirror to see inside. She was still holding Jack. Soon they would realise that Aaron wasn't there any more.

He kicked the door down.

"FBI!"

Maize turned to look at Rossi and Prentiss in the doorway. To their dismay, they saw that she was holding a gun at the child's head.

Jack was crying, calling for his Daddy. Rossi thanked his god that Aaron wasn't here.

"Put the gun down and give yourselves up." Rossi said, his own gun not wavering.

Reid stepped out of his hiding place and stepped closer to them. Bren and Maize walked backwards to the wall where she could see Reid as well as the two by the door.

He stepped forwards again and re-holstered his gun. "Let me take the child's place. Let him go, and take me instead."

Suddenly and without warning, she swung her weapon round and fired it twice at Reid almost point blank, then she returned the barrel to Jacks head.

For a moment or two he stood where he was. He looked down at the two growing patches on his chest. A hand fluttered against the wounds, and he looked at Rossi in surprise. His wide hazel eyes started to lose focus, and he fell sideways onto the floor.

"Reid!" Rossi shouted. He looked at his fallen agent, but the gun didn't waver from its aim.

"Now back out of the cabin. Now. Or I shoot the kid." Maize said. Obediently, Rossi and Prentiss backed out, guns still trained on the twins. Once they were outside, and Maize and Bren were at the door, Maize called over her shoulder.

"Ok, Bren. Do it now."

Bren took a five litre container marked 'Floorshine' off the shelf and tipped it around the small room.

The two of them exited the cabin, still holding the point two five at the little boy's head. As Bren stepped out, he flicked on his lighter, and tossed it through the door. They threw themselves to the ground as the whoosh of flame went over their heads. Rossi and Prentiss were knocked off their feet onto the ground by the blast. The twins ran to the car, and shoving the child in the front between them, they got in and drove off.

Rossi took of his jacket and used it to put out the flames on Emily's legs. Morgan ran round to the front.

"What the hell..."

Rossi helped Emily to her feet and ran to the burning cabin.

"Reid's still in there, Derek. He's been shot!"


	11. The Phoenix

Chapter 11

The Phoenix

"_**The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise."**____** Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra**_

Emily laid down on the grass, feeling sick and in a lot of pain. She tried to sit up, but it made her head swim. So she stayed still, trying to recover, trying to ignore the burns on the backs of her legs.

Rossi ran to the door of the cabin and opened it, but the flames were too intense. Rossi shut the door again, and ran towards the back of the cabin.

"Morgan, I'm going to get Reid out of there!"

Garcia had seen the flash, and came running up the path. She glanced around the area in front of the burning cabin. Seeing Emily lying on the grass, she ran to her side.

"Em, what happened?"

"They torched the cabin." Garcia looked at Emily's legs. "It's ok. They're flash burns. Not very deep."

she smiled a shaky smile. "I'll be ok in a minute."

Garcia took her hand and looked over at Morgan

"Where's Reid?" she asked. Then sudden realisation hit her. "Oh no! He's not in there is he?"

Morgan didn't answer her question. He said, "Call the PD and have them set up road blocks. The UnSubs must not be allowed to take Jack anywhere. We don't know where they might take him. If we don't stop them now, we may never find him!" He thought of Hotch, fighting for his life. How would they ever explain this to him? If the injuries he had received didn't break him, losing his son surely would. "Have them declare an Amber Alert. We have to find Jack, and soon."

Leaving Garcia talking on the mobile, Morgan quickly followed Rossi round the back

-0-0-0-

There was a boarded up window at the back. Rossi forced his fingers under the edge of the sheet of ply, and ripped it off the frame. There was no glass in the window, and the fire was not so intense here. He sat in the edge of the sill, and swung his legs into the room.

Coughing and choking on the smoke, his eyes watering, he immediately got onto his knees where the air wasn't so noxious.

He couldn't see a thing, and he was having difficulty getting his bearings.

"Reid! Spencer! Can you hear me? Shout out so that I can find you!" Calling out sent him into a paroxysm of coughing. He thought for a moment that he was going to pass out. He felt dizzy and his lungs were screaming for clean air.

A creaking sound as the roof moved jolted him into action. The crackling flames seemed to get louder and burning timbers from the rafters began to fall around him.

He needed to hurry.

There was no reply to his call. Rossi crawled through the smoke, feeling in large arcs in front of him. He sighed with relief when his hand contacted Reid's arm.

Rossi had lost his bearings, and had no idea how to get back to the window. He pulled Reid across the floor so that he could get hold of him to drag him to safety.

He turned around, and attempted to drag Reid back the way he had come, but he couldn't think any more. He tried to shout out to Morgan, but this time, the coughing started straight away.

_I'm not going to make it..._

Rossi felt an unfamiliar feeling of panic flood over him. He fought to suppress it, and curled one arm around Reid's chest, dragging himself along with the other arm.

Burning debris was falling all around him. Once or twice, he had to beat out flames as his clothing caught fire. He thought he saw the square of the window up ahead. With a desperate effort, he pulled himself across the floor towards the promise of safety and air.

A grinding creaking sound presaged the crashing down of a roof timber. With his last ounce of strength, Rossi flung himself over Reid's body. The timber crashed down, catching Rossi on the back of his head. Blackness gulfed him, and he passed out.

-0-0-0-

He became vaguely aware that he was moving. Strong hands under his arms, and he was being dragged somewhere. He forced stinging eyes open. He tried to move his hands to his eyes to rub them but moving his hands was excruciating. He looked at them. They were burnt, backs and palms.

"Morgan?" he croaked

There was no one there. He found himself lying on the grass at the back of the burning cabin. Gulping lungfuls of air, he shakily sat up, and looked over to the window into the inferno. Morgan was lifting something out of the window.

"Reid!"

Rossi remembered. He had been trying to get Reid out, but the smoke had been too thick. The back of his head was hurting. Something had hit him, although he couldn't remember what.

"Reid? Morgan, is he ok?"

"I think so. I found you lying across him. He has managed to not get burnt, thanks to you. But I need to check out the GSW's. Two in the chest, as far as I can see, and no exit wounds."

"It was only a small calibre gun. Point two two or two five."

"They don't usually do too much damage." Morgan said. "Although by the look of the scorch marks, these were point blank."

Reid was starting to come round as the woodland air filled his starving lungs. "Can you walk, Rossi? I don't want to leave Emily and Garcia alone. Emily got burnt when the cabin went up."

"Jack!" said Rossi, remembering. Morgan touched his arm.

"It's ok, Rossi," he said. "Road blocks have been set up, and an Amber Alert initiated. We'll find him." He helped the older man to his feet. "I'll carry Reid. We ought to join the others."

-0-0-0-

The Toyota drove south on the 81. Maize didn't really know where she was going to go, just that they needed to get away from the area as quickly and inconspicuously as possible. She guessed there would be road blocks. She was annoyed with herself foe not getting Hotchner's guns out of the kitchen drawer, but it was too late now to have regrets.

She glanced over into the back seat. The kid and Bren were both asleep. She often marvelled at Bren's ability to sleep anywhere.

She saw the flashing blue lights in the rear view mirror.

_Crap!_

As she slowed down, she picked up her gun and put it in her lap between her legs. The police car pulled level with her and indicated for her to pull over.

Sighing with annoyance, she stopped the car. The police car stopped in front of her, and one of the cops got out and walked back to her window, which she had opened.

"May I see your license pl..."

His sentence was cut off as she discharged the point two five into his face through his eye. The shot killed him instantly. Maize had a moment of regret. He was a nice looking young man; she didn't really want to kill him.

But now wasn't the time for regrets. The other cop was getting out of the car, gun drawn.

She slammed the Toyota into drive and ran him down.

As she sped away, she glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the two dead cops in the road.

_This is getting ridiculous. All we want is to be left alone, to be a family!_

In the back, her two brothers slept on.

-0-0-0-

Aaron had come out of theatre, and was now in ICU. One leg was in plaster, but his right leg was just splinted. The bones had been relocated, and held with surgical steel plates. The wound was open to infection, and although the skill of the surgeon had allowed the leg to be saved for now, unless the infection could be brought under control, he could still lose it. There was a strong possibility of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, with such a severe break, left open and untreated for so long.

The cuts on his chest had been clipped rather than stitched. They hoped that this would lessen the scarring. His underarms were badly torn. They had re-attached muscle and blood vessels, but the nerves were a different matter. He might never get the full use of his arms back. The throat injury had broken the hyoid bone, something that happens in strangulation, and the whites of his eyes were stippled with petechiae.

A machine whirred as it ventilated his lungs, the tube resting against broken lips, and into his bruised throat.

He was still very poorly.

A young nurse stood by his bed. He had a high fever, brought on by the infection in his leg. Gently she wiped his face with a cool cloth. His eyes were taped shut, but she remembered them – dark and beautiful, but devoid of expression. She held his hand and felt his fingers curl around hers.

She felt sad when he tried to cry out in distress, as unknown dreams haunted him. She couldn't help him, except by being there. She wanted to put her arms around him and rock him, tell him that everything was going to be fine, and that this was only temporary.

"You are going to get better." she said softly to him. "I will stay right here until you do." and very unprofessionally, she leaned forwards and kissed his forehead.


	12. The Search

Chapter 12

The Search

_**It all comes down to serving the ones who are fighting alongside you, watching your back, putting a weapon in your hand when you need it most. **____** James Luceno **_

Spencer was trying to sit up.

"What did I miss?" he asked, looking in surprise at the still burning cabin.

"Quite a lot, actually." said Emily.

Garcia was checking the burns on the back of Emily's legs. "You're right, Em. The burns aren't deep, but they're going to hurt like hell."

"They already do." she said with a grimace. She climbed to her feet and tested them out. "But I'm ok."

Morgan was checking out Reid's GSW's. "I'm ok." Reid said. "We have to go after the UnSubs as priority." He looked at Rossi for confirmation. He didn't get it.

"We have to get those slugs out of you as priority, actually." he said. "If they aren't life threatening now, they could be if they moved." Rossi had his hands in his pockets, an uncharacteristic stance that was not lost on Morgan.

"And get those burns checked out, Dave!" Rossi flashed Morgan a look that said 'don't you dare...'

Rossi came to a decision. "Garcia, you drive Reid and Prentiss to the ER. Morgan and I will follow the UnSubs."

"But I need to..." began Reid

"I'm fine, I don't need..." objected Emily at the same time.

Rossi would have held up his hands to stop the protests. As it was, he kept them in his pockets, and said, "If you are discharged, you can join us afterwards." He looked directly at Reid. "And by that I mean, if the hospital discharges you. Discharging yourself doesn't count!" The look he flashed Reid as he was about to protest left no room for argument.

Garcia went to give Rossi his car keys. "Give them to Morgan. He will be driving."

Before anyone else could say anything, Rossi turned and walked up the path to where Garcia had parked his SUV. A moment later, Morgan caught up.

"I've called the fire services, Dave. But it looks as if the fire will burn itself out without catching the trees."

They reached the car. "Are you going to let me look at those hands?"

"No." was the short answer. He took his hands out of his pockets and un-holstered his gun. Morgan saw him wince as he took up a firing stance. However much pain he was in, he was not going to allow it to affect his ability to work. "I'm fine."

Morgan reversed the car out of the trees, and they followed Garcia and the others down the track.

Rossi's mobile rang. It was Garcia. "I'm taking them to Strasburg, to the hospital there. It's by the junction of the 81 and 66. I'll call when we're done."

Rossi thanked her and called the PD. "Any news of our UnSubs?"

"There has been an incident eight miles south of the co-ordinates you gave us earlier. Two highway patrol cops have been killed. We think it was your kidnappers."

Rossi covered the mouthpiece. "Right on the 81, Derek."

He went back to the call. "Any witnesses?"

"None. There is no sign of the Kidnappers either now. If they were heading south, they should have reached the road block. But they haven't. We think they have left the road."

"That's quite likely." Rossi answered. "They seem to be happy in the forest. Are you still at the scene?"

"Yes."

"We'll join you shortly?"

He cut the connection and called for news of Hotch. He should be out of theatre by now.

-0-0-0-

Maize drove off the road into the forest a short way in, she stopped and woke the two up in the back.

"Hey, Bren." she said. "We are going to have to get out and walk from here."

Bren frowned. "Why? What's wrong?"

"They are going to find us. They've set up road blocks."

They started getting out of the car. Jack didn't want to.

"Where's my Daddy?" he cried, breaking into tears. "I want my Daddy. You said I could see Daddy."

Bren took the child by the shoulders and shook him. "You haven't got a daddy!" he shouted, inches from the little boy's face. "Daddy's dead!"

Jack's eyes widened in shock. No-one had ever shaken him before.

"Leave the kid alone." said Maize. "You're scaring him. Do you want him to be crying all the time?" She knelt down in front of him, and dabbed his tears with the sleeve of her shirt.

"It's ok; we'll take you to see Daddy." She thought of Daddy, right now being burnt to nothing in the ruins of the cabin. "Daddy's right through there." she pointed into the woods.

Jack's frightened crying eased into hitching sobs as he took the hand of the woman who was being kind to him. She would take him to Daddy. She was nice.

"There's a ranger station five miles west of here." she said to Bren. "It's not been used since they changed the Ranger system. We'll be safe there."

"Five miles with a kid? I don't..."

"You might have to carry him!" she snapped. Bren was really annoying her.

_Stupid brainless creature! How could I ever have been twinned with you?_

Bren said nothing and deferred to his sister. Still, there was no need to talk to him like that. He followed her into the woods, staring down at his feet.

-0-0-0-

Aaron was dreaming.

_He could see Jack. He was in Haley's arms. Haley had her back to him, Jack looking over her shoulder. He called to his son, arms outstretched towards him._

"_Jacky-Boy, it's Daddy."_

_Haley turned to face him, and it wasn't Haley any more... the creature had Haley's face and was dripping blood and saliva and it dropped the little boy and pounced on him, biting at Aaron's throat, twisting his arms out of their sockets and he screamed and tried to pull away, to get to his child, but the Haley creature was ripping into him and he wanted to shout to Jack to run away, but there was something in his mouth now and around his neck, he couldn't even scream and the creature bit into his legs and Aaron arched his back and the creature gnawed at his bones and he couldn't move and he was going to die and he was burning up and useless..._

_Something touched his hand...he wanted to pull away but he was too damaged to move, let alone fight...but the hand was gentle, the creature backed off...he called to his little boy again..._

The nurse sitting by him watched him writhing on the bed, and saw tears run from his eyes. The heart monitor was rising as the dream played on his mind. She wished he would wake up. Whatever the dreams were, they were exhausting him. Every so often, he would make frightened sounds from his throat.

"Please wake up," she whispered to him. "The dreams won't hurt you if you wake up." She took his hand in hers. Slowly, the monitor steadied. She stroked the man's forehead; she ran her fingers through his hair.

Glancing at her watch, she noted that her shift started in thirty minutes. She needed to shower and change for her shift.

"I have to leave now, Aaron. I will be back later."

She gently removed her hand from his, and stepped back from the bed. One last look at the injured man, and she left the ward, closing the door behind her.

-0-0-0-

In a different hospital, a doctor was examining one of the worse patients he'd ever had the misfortune to treat.

"Lie STILL Doctor Reid. I can't do anything if you won't lie still."

"They are tiny bullets!" protested the patient. "Just dress them, and discharge me!"

"We can't discharge you with the bullets still in." said the doctor resolutely. "We need to get you upstairs into the OR."

"I'll have a local, or they're staying in there. They're not very deep. A local will be fine."

"Alright!" the doctor said, his voice starting to rise. "A local it is. But this is going to hurt!"

Emily and Garcia sat in the waiting room and grinned at each other. Emily's legs were bandaged, and injected with a pain killer that should last a few hours. They listened to the two doctors shouting at each other, and felt inclined to giggle, despite everything. They watched the red faced doctor stomp out of the examination room, and Emily laughed.

"Boy has he met his match!"

A minute later, the doctor returned with a trolley and a nurse, and went back into the exam room. They guessed that Reid what was about to happen. They'd heard the argument.

Reid winced as the syringe was several times stuck into his chest close to the wounds.

"We can't give you a deep anaesthetic, because it is close to your heart. Only the surface will be anaesthetised." the nurse said.

Reid nodded, and bit his hand in anticipation.

The doctor had said it would hurt, and he was right. For the first few minutes, he made a 'nnghhh' sound against his hand. When the first bullet was pulled up through the little hole in his chest, he released his hand from the grip of his teeth and screamed, lifting his back off the bed. He heard the clatter as the bullet was dropped into a waiting tray.

Breathing deeply, and repositioning his teeth, he steeled himself for the next assault.

As the second bullet was removed, it all became too much. Reid fainted, and the doctor sighed with relief.


	13. Disunity and Harmony

Chapter 13

Disunity and Harmony

"_**When one creates phantoms for oneself, one puts vampires into the world, and one must nourish these children of a voluntary nightmare with one's blood, one's life, one's intelligence, and one's reason, without ever satisfying them" **__** Eliphas Levi  
**_

Twenty minutes later a whiter than usual faced Reid walked slowly out of the exam room. He had his shirt back on with the two bullet holes on the front, and if it wasn't for the greenish flesh tone, he would have looked quite heroic. Garcia and Emily stood up to meet him.

"I can go." Reid said shakily. "I'm ok, I just fainted a little bit."

Emily grinned at him. "How can you faint a little bit?"

Garcia went to the foyer to call Rossi. "Yes they've both been discharged."

"We've picked up the trail of the twins. They went south on the 81." Rossi said. "They shot two highway cops. We think they've gone into the forest. We are searching for their vehicle now."

"Ok, we'll drive down and join you."

She cut the connection, and was joined by Reid and Emily. "Right we know which way they've gone. We're going to join Rossi and Morgan on the 81."

They went back to the SUV, and headed back down to meet up.

-0-0-0-

Rossi was talking to the detective at the scene of the shooting. It looked as if the cop was going to cry.

"I can't believe this." he said, wiping a stray tear from his cheek. "They were good kids. I can't believe it..."

Rossi put his hand on his shoulder. "I know. It stinks. But you know, the best thing you can do for them is hold it together, and find the s.o.b's that did this."

He looked at Rossi gratefully. "I know. This is right out of order behaving like this. I owe it to them to get this solved."

They watched sadly as two body bags were loaded into the coroner's van. Rossi's mobile rang. It was Morgan.

"We've found their car. About two miles south of your location. It looks as if they are on foot."

"We'll be right there." Rossi shut his phone. It hurt to move his fingers, and he flinched in pain. He hoped that no-one noticed. He had to remain in the field. He had to get Aaron's child back.

He opened the phone again carefully and called the hospital again.

-0-0-0-

"This is all your fault, you half witted moron!" yelled Maize at her brother. "Why did you have to shout at him?"

"I'm sick of his whinging!" Bren shouted back. "And don't disrespect me! I've worked hard on this!"

Jack was clinging to Maize, his little arms around her leg, crying big tears onto her jeans. She bent down and picked him up. He put his arms around her neck and buried his face in her sweatshirt.

"Wh-where's m-my D-daddy...I want D-daddy." he sobbed.

Maize scowled at her stupid brother. "Just come on, or we won't get to the station before it gets dark."

She turned and carried on walking through the woods. She could hear her brother following, and it crossed her mind to lose him out here. He would get caught, and she would be left with Jack. She put her hand on the back of Jack's head, and held him against her. He was calming down now. He was a good kid really, if only Bren wouldn't keep on upsetting him. It wasn't much further to the station now. She knew there was water there. Jack was probably thirsty by now. She glanced behind her to Bren He was following about fifty yards behind. Sulking, probably. She sighed and kept walking.

-0-0-0-

Reid was lying across the back seat of the car, and Emily was riding shotgun. She turned round to check on Spencer.

"You ok?"

Reid looked up at her. "Yes, fine. It just hurts a bit. I don't feel so sick if I lay down."

"You know what Rossi will say if he sees you like this, don't you."

"I know. Tell me when we are almost there, and I'll sit up."

"You know," Garcia said, "Throwing up in the SUV is a bit of a give away."

"I'll be fine!" Reid snapped, obviously in pain. Emily was thinking they should have left him at the hospital. But the same thought occurred to her as had been voiced by her colleague earlier on. Short of tying him down, nothing would keep him away from the search for Aaron's son.

Emily smiled at him. "It's ok, Reid. We won't say anything, just make sure you step back if you feel bad, and don't put yourself in danger." She put her hand on his knee for the briefest of moments, then turned back round.

"We're a mile from Rossi and Morgan, Babe, if you want to sit up, now's a good time."

Reid slowly sat up, and tried to look not in pain. Garcia pulled up next to Rossi's car. Rossi came over to her window.

"It looks as if they've left the road two miles further on. Morgan is there waiting for us with a couple of local cops. We will be following the UnSubs on foot." Rossi looked over to Emily. "Are you able to walk?"

"Yes I'll be ok for a few hours yet. I've had strong pain killers."

"That's fine, but the minute you start to feel the pain, you are to stop. Is that clear?"

"Crystal." said Emily, grateful that she was not being side lined.

"Reid?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit sore."

"Have you had the slugs removed?"

"Yes. Under local. I needed to get back out here."

Rossi nodded in understanding. Then he turned to Garcia.

"I want you to take my car, and go back to the Police station with these officers." he said. "You've done good today, Garcia, but I can't have you out in the field." He opened the door, and gave her his keys. "We'll call you when we've finished here."

Garcia reached across and retrieved her laptop from the floor in front of Emily, and got out of the car. "I'll see if I can find anything on here that will help." she said. "If I find anything, I'll call you."

She went to talk to the detective. Rossi got in the car, and drove off to meet up with Morgan.

-0-0-0-

Alone in a darkened room, Aaron Hotchner was felt afraid and worthless. He was exhausted, the dreams haunting him were sapping his strength, and the fear for his child was hurting more than his injuries.

_He wanted to protect his child and he tried to call Jack, but the creature with Haley's face had done something to him, and his mouth wouldn't work and it had torn his arms out of their sockets and he couldn't reach for him and It had chewed and gnawed at his legs, and now he couldn't run to him but the creature had left him his eyes, so he could watch as it picked up his little boy and began to touch him and talk to him and he wanted to tell Jack to run away, to not listen to what it was saying to him but his efforts were futile and as he tried to move, to protect his son, terrible pain shot through him, every cell of his body was on fire and sweat ran off his body in streams and ran in his eyes and the pain increased ...oh please let me scream let me move let me hold my child...but the creature didn't let him and he cried...and in his chest something stopped moving..._

At the nurses' station an alarm sounded.

One of the nurses shouted, "Crash call!" and grabbed a trolley and ran down the corridor with it. Another was on the phone to the duty doctor, another called Mr. Hotchner's surgeon.

The nurse with the crash trolley climbed on the bed and sat astride him and began to hit his chest. She saw tears run from his eyes as he cried as his body gave up living. The dressings on his chest wounds became soaked in blood as she fought to get his heart to beat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the duty doctor getting the paddles ready.

"Ok, stop now." he said and she climbed off the bed...

_Come on, Aaron, don't give up. A lot of people need you. Come on!_

...and pulled the dressings off his chest.

"Charging 250...clear!"

Aaron's battered body jerked upwards as the charge shot through his body. The green line stayed flat.

"Again charging 300...clear!"

Again, the charge lifted the man off the bed, and wounds opened and blood flowed. The nurse who had spent her off duty hours holding his hand watched the monitor.

_Please, Aaron...don't give up, please, don't give up!_

She felt a tear gather at the corner of her eye as she reached out and took his hand again.


	14. A Walk in the Woods

Chapter 14

A Walk in the Woods

"_**It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit." **____** Robert Louis Stevenson**_

Someone was there. Someone who wasn't hurting him. Someone gentle and kind. The hand enclosed his in a warm loving grip

_...Come on, Aaron, don't give up. A lot of people need you. Come on...!_

"Charging 300...clear!"

_The hand let go. His mind craved the comfort it had offered. The pain that suddenly embraced him tore across his chest and he arched his back...He wanted to scream as he felt blood run down the sides of his chest...voices calling to him...he tried to move but the Haley creature had hurt him and his fingers wouldn't bend and he couldn't call to the voices...the creature was staring at him, eyes glowing with malevolence, blood, his blood, staining its teeth...sliding towards him, tentacle fingers around his heart...squeezing...hurting..._

_...tears fell from his eyes..._

"Again...charging 300...clear"

_The pain again, screaming agony...the fingers slipped away as they felt it too..._

"Sinus rhythm restored. He's back!"

The nurse closed her eyes and rocked her head back and said a silent prayer of thanks. In her time as a High Dependency nurse, she had seen a few people lose their battle for life. It always hurt. But she so wanted this man to live.

"Very weak pulse, but he's alive." she said, holding his hand tight in both of hers. Very slowly, he responded to her touch and his fingers curled around hers. "Doctor, he's responding. He's holding my hand."

"It's most likely a reflex action, Wendy. He may never come round." He rested a hand on her arm. "This persistent vegetative state can last for years before the patient eventually dies. Unfortunately Mr. Hotchner does not have a DNR order. He could be like this for a very long time." He could see that the nurse was getting upset. "Don't get involved with the patients. It never works out."

She knew this of course. But this was different.

The doctor checked Aaron's obs once more, made a note on his chart, and turned to leave.

"I won't be leaving the hospital for another two hours. If there's any deterioration in Mr. Hotchner's condition, please page me at once."

"I'll redress your chest wounds." she said. She gently lifted Aaron's resisting fingers off her hands. "I have to go and get some new dressings, Sweetheart." She stroked his face and resisted the impulse to kiss him. "I'll be back soon."

Aaron was plunged back into the nightmare as his comforter left him alone again.

He cried again in his agony as the creature moved towards him. He wanted to submit to the creature, to give in. He had nothing left to fight with. Tears of distress squeezed between his taped eyelids and a low guttural moan formed in his throat.

_Please, don't hurt my child...do what you want to me, but please, leave Jack alone..._

So the creature with the face that he once loved slithered towards him and his restored heart flinched.

-0-0-0-

The little boy had fallen asleep in her arms. His body shuddered every few breaths, sobbing in his sleep. She felt sorry for him, but she would make it right. She glanced behind her. She couldn't see Bren any more, he had fallen a long way behind. But she could hear the sounds of wet twigs breaking under his footsteps. If he got lost, she had no intention of going back for him.

She held Jack tenderly in her arms. They could make it together. After all, he had no-one else.

She saw the little wooden building up ahead. "Nearly there, Jack." she said.

The child in her arms stirred. "See Daddy?" he murmured, shifting his body slightly.

"Yes." she said. "But first it's bed time. We'll see Daddy in the morning."

The little boy snuggled into her sweatshirt and slept on.

She opened the door of the old ranger station. There was an old couch along one wall. She laid Jack on it, and covered him with a blanket that was folded over the back. Bren followed her in.

"Why couldn't you have waited for me?" he said, clearly annoyed.

"Don't shout, you'll wake the boy."

"To hell with the boy! All I wanted to do was hurt our father. I didn't want all this!" He indicated the sleeping child. "And you could have waited! I could have got lost out there!" he said, raising his voice still more.

"Don't shout at me!" she countered in a low tone. She took the gun out of her pocket and pointed it at her brother. "Shout at me again, and I'll kill you."

"Come on, Maize, don't be daft."

Behind her, Maize could hear Jack stirring. Bren's shouting had woken him. She pointed the gun at Bren and fired.

Ok, it was only a point two five. But it hit Bren in the face and tore a hole in his cheek. He moved his hand to the torn flesh and gaped at her in shocked surprise. He stepped backwards until he had his back to the door.

"Get out." she said, advancing towards him. "I'm so tired of being dragged down by you. I have no intention of getting caught." She waved the gun in his face again. He groped behind him, feeling for the door handle, wanting to open the door, but not wanting to take his eyes of her. It seemed like forever that he struggled with the door, but eventually it opened, and he stumbled outside into the darkness, his hand trying to hold together the edges of the hole in his cheek.

He had never had to do anything without his sister before. It was terrifying being out here in the dark alone without her. His face hurt and he could taste blood in his mouth. He started to cry as he staggered into the blackness between the trees.

-0-0-0-

Rossi stood by Maize's car with Reid, Emily, Morgan and two local cops.

"I would like you to stay with the car." Rossi said to the cops. "Please call in the CSU to get this car processed."

"It looks as if they've gone this way." Morgan said. "The ground is very wet; the trail is easy to follow."

Morgan began to follow the trail left by the twins, Reid at his side, Emily behind him, Rossi at the back. It was becoming dark, and they scanned the area ahead with their flashlights. Rossi held his gun by his side. He was losing the use of his hands, and didn't want to be fumbling for his gun.

His phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket, pains shooting up his arms as he attempted to open it. His hands refused to work and he dropped it. Wordlessly, Emily picked it up and handed it to him. Rossi's fingers were becoming stiff as the burnt skin dried out, and it was becoming more and more difficult to move them.

"Thank you." He carefully took the phone from her. He wanted to hide the pain he was in, but Emily saw the burns on his hands, and noticed how delicately he held the phone.

It was Garcia. "Yes?"

"There is a disused ranger station about five miles west of the abandoned car." she said. "They could have gone there."

"Thank you Garcia. Can you get a satellite image?"

"Yes sir, but it might not be very clear on your phone."

"Send it to Morgan's...erm...PAD."

"PAD?...Oh, PDA. Yes sir, I'll do that."

Closing his phone, he swept the area around him with his flashlight. He thought he had probably walked over three miles, so it wouldn't be long now before they got to the ranger station. If they had gone there. This was going to be difficult. They had Aaron's child, and it could turn into a hostage situation.

He had to keep Aaron's child safe.

He desperately wanted to call the hospital again, to check on Aaron. The last report had been frightening. He hadn't told the others what the doctor had said, and he wanted good news to share with them.

He shone his flashlight forwards. Emily was out of view now. He quickened his pace to catch up.

Something suddenly wrapped itself around his leg, and pulled. He felt himself fall forward, and he reached out to try to catch hold of something to stop himself from falling. His fingertips brushed against a tree, and he fell face down onto the waterlogged mulch.

The hand on the back of his head pushed his face down into the water, and the gun was twisted from his hand. He thrashed his arms as he felt the weight of someone sitting astride his back. Desperate for air, he tried to turn his head out of the water, pushing down with his elbows, to push the weight off his back and turn over. Hands pulled his arms sideways and his body collapsed down again. His lungs hurt as he fought for breath, and blackness began to close in on him. His struggles lessened and he lost consciousness.


	15. Aaron's Child

Chapter 15

Aaron's Child

"_**We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."**____** Kenji Miyazawa  
**_

Emily shone her flashlight behind her.

"Hey Morgan. I can't see Rossi!"

Morgan and Reid turned back.

"He can't be far." He walked back to Emily. "He was just behind us."

They retraced their steps. Now it was very dark under the trees. The only light was from their flashlights.

"Dave! Where are you?" Morgan called into the darkness. There was no answer. "Where the hell is he?"

"Morgan, look at this." Reid was kneeling down, shining his flashlight into the bushes. "It's Rossi's phone." Reid reached into the undergrowth and picked up the mobile. "What's it doing over here? It's off the track."

"Look at this." Emily focused her torch onto the ground. "Someone has fallen here."

Morgan swept the area with light. "So what happened?"

"And do we go after Rossi, or find Jack?"

"We find Jack." Morgan said. "Then we come back for Rossi."

Reid nodded slowly and stood up, holding Rossi's phone. "We'd better hurry then."

Emily looked once more where Rossi had fallen. "He's hurt." she said. "There's blood here."

-0-0-0-

Bren stood and looked down at his captive. This was his way out of this mess his sister had got him into. Rossi was gagged and had his hands bound with a strip ripped off his shirt. He was sitting leaning against a tree in the darkness, head slumped forwards, tied hands behind his back.

Rossi was vaguely aware of his surroundings. He had water in his lungs and he coughed, desperate to be able to breathe freely. He choked on the gag, and tried to get Masefield's attention, a feeling of desperation overwhelming him. Groaning from his throat, his body panicking as he fought for air, he rolled onto his side. He turned his head and looked pleadingly up at Bren, eyes wide and imploring. Bren knelt down and spoke to him.

"I will remove the gag, but if you try to shout out, I will kill you."

Rossi nodded. He was losing his vision. Bren bent forwards and pulled the gag down.

Rossi tried to breathe, sucking in air, choking on the foul water, he turned his head onto the side and coughed and vomited onto the woodland floor, gasping for breath, his lungs trying to draw in air, at the same time, coughing to get rid of the water. When at last he had recovered, he laid down on the muddy ground, panting with exhaustion. Breathing heavily, he attempted to get onto his feet, when he felt the barrel of his own gun in the back of his neck.

"Stay down." he said pushing him forwards violently. Unable to save himself, he landed in the soft wet earth, twisting onto his side to avoid landing on his face. He rolled onto his back, and pulled himself painfully into a sitting position. He sat for a moment, getting his breath back, then looking up at his captor, said,

"You do realise this is going to get you no-where, don't you. All you have done is make things worse for yourself, kidnapping and holding a Federal Agent."

"How can it be worse? I am wanted for murder." he said. "Maize and I killed Hotchner."

"Hotchner isn't dead." Rossi said. "He was close, but he is recovering in hospital."

A look of shock flashed over Bren's face. "But we killed him. Then ran down the Hotchner woman."

"Maybe, but it was at the instigation of your sister, wasn't it. It wasn't the plan to kill her, was it?"

Bren thought for a moment. "And Maize shot the cop and ran down his partner." Still holding the gun at Dave, Bren sat down, thinking. "This is a trick!"

"It's not a ..."

Bren whacked Dave on the side of the head with the gun butt. Rossi crashed sideways onto the ground. Blood ran from the wound above his ear.

"You are going to get me out of here."Bren said to the unconscious man at his feet. "If you do as I say, I may not kill you."

-0-0-0-

_Aaron watched the creature slither towards him, and he cringed backwards away from it. He closed his eyes and prepared for the pain that he knew was coming. The creature bit into his leg, tearing at the flesh, chewing the bone. His mind screamed and his eyes cried and he wondered if this agony would ever end. He needed to open his eyes. He needed to get to Jack..._

_A hand picked up his again, and his tears flowed, and the creature turned into a grey mist and dissipated before him._

_His eyelids pulled against the tape across his eyes. A low guttural sound forming in his throat – pleading to be set free of this nightmare that trapped him, his mind crying for help, tears running from his eyes, dampening his thick dark hair._

Wendy leaned forward, gently wiping the tears from his face, and saw his eyelids pulling at the strips of tape holding his eyes closed.

"Ok, Aaron, I am going to take off the tape." She touched his eyes, and Aaron flinched at her touch. "It's ok, I am not going to hurt you."

Very carefully, she peeled back the tape. Slowly, almost fearfully, Aaron opened his eyes.

"Hello, Aaron. Welcome back."

His dark expressive eyes looked at her, his expression one of distress and anguish. He tried to speak but the creature had destroyed his ability...

_It's got my child...the creature has taken my Jacky..._

...and he cried for his little boy, and his own impotence...

-0-0-0-

Reid, Morgan and Emily peered through the trees and undergrowth at the ranger station in the clearing. There were no lights on, and it all seemed very quiet.

"Reid," whispered Morgan, "Go round the back and see if there are any signs that they are in there. We will take the front."

Reid took up his gun, and, keeping to the shadows, crept around to the side.

That was when they heard the child cry.

The sadness in the tone made the hairs on Emily's neck stand up. The child's cry was frightened and miserable. He was asking for Daddy, a scared little boy in the dark with a stranger.

"Morgan, we have to get him out of there!" Emily said.

Reid came back and joined them."There's no back door. No lights on."

Morgan nodded. The three of them crept towards to the door. Morgan listened carefully. Apart from little Jack crying, there were no other sounds. For a moment, they thought that he had been left alone, but then the crying calmed, and they heard another sound, as if someone was quietly pacing the floor to pacify him. Patiently they waited. Soon the crying eased, and the pacing stopped. Morgan indicated to Emily and Reid that he was ready to go.

The door was weak and it didn't take much for Morgan to kick it open. It was dark in the room, and they could hear sounds of Jack sobbing in his sleep. Maize stood in the middle of the room.

Like a frozen tableau, Maize stared at Morgan, and he pointed his gun at her.

"Don't move." Morgan said quietly. He indicated to Emily who crossed the room and picked up the sleeping child. "You are under arrest for child kidnapping, and murder. Now get on the floor!"

Maize knelt on the floor, Morgan cuffed her, and roughly pulled her to her feet. "Get moving. We've got a long walk back."

She glared at him. "I have a right to have the child with me. His parents are dead, and he is my half brother."

"His parent's are not dead." Reid said. "His father survived. And any rights to the child you may have had, you gave up when you turned to murdering his mother."

She looked at Reid in shock. Morgan pushed her through the door and out into the darkness.

-0-0-0-

Emily held Jack tight, and soon he was asleep again, comforted by the closeness. Morgan walked in front with Maize, his gun in her back. Reid followed behind, his flashlight cutting through the darkness ahead.

"This is where we lost Dave." Morgan said. "We'll get Jack and Masefield back to the cars, and then we'll come back for Rossi.

Emily hoped it wouldn't be too late. She held little Jack's body tighter.

When they arrived back, The CSU team were coming to an end processing the car. Morgan took Maize Masefield to the detective in charge and requested that she be taken back to the station, and he would deal with her when he got back. Emily gently put Jack in the back of a police car.

"He will be fine there if he stays asleep." she said." I'll be back shortly. Please wait for us."

-0-0-0-

Rossi groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Blood had dried on his eyelids and he wanted to rub them. His hands were still tied behind him, and the cloth was digging into his skin. He had bee lying on his back, and the mud from the forest floor had irritated his burns and they hurt like hell. He rolled onto his side.

When he moved, Bren stood up and approached him. "Lie still!" He accentuated his command by kicking him in the ribs.

Tears of pain formed in Rossi's eyes. "They will come to find me, you know." he said.

Bren pressed the gun against Rossi's forehead.

"If they do, I'll blow your stupid Italian head off!"

Rossi saw movement in the trees to his right.

Morgan!

"So what are your plans?" asked Rossi, risking another beating, but needing to distract Bren from seeing his colleagues.

"I will use you as a shield to get out of here." he said, waving his gun. "I don't plan on dying for stuff my crazy sister has done."

Rossi caught Bren's legs between his, and twisted. As Bren fell he squeezed the trigger of Rossi's gun.

The bullet cut into flesh and bone, and blood sprayed onto the forest floor.


	16. Saving and Dying

Chapter 16

Saving and Dying

"_**We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."**____** Patrick Henry**_

Wendy looked into the frightened eyes of the man lying in front of her. She was holding his hand, and he was gripping his fingers around hers. He needed to speak, but the doctor wouldn't allow the removal of the ET tube.

Aaron wasn't able to write messages. His arms were badly damaged, and it would take months of physiotherapy to get movement back. So he just lay on the bed, tears of frustration and fear falling from his eyes as they pleaded with Wendy to help him.

"Do you need to speak to me, Aaron?" she asked, her hand gently smoothing his thick dark hair.

Very slowly and shakily, Aaron nodded, his grip on her hand tightening.

"There may be a way, Sweetheart." she said. "I will have to leave you for a while. Are you ok with that?"

Again, Aaron slowly nodded, his expressive eyes misting over with tears.

She loosened his fingers, and touching his face gently and lovingly, she left to get permission from the doctor for the procedure that she wanted to do.

Aaron stared unblinking at the ceiling. Images of Jacky flashed across his vision...on the swings ...hiding behind trees ...unruly hair blowing in the wind ...And the terrible fear that his child was in danger and he was unable to do anything to help him cut him deeper than any knife ever could. Feelings of inadequacy overwhelmed him and bitter tears of self-loathing flooded his face.

Wendy returned.

"I have permission now, Aaron. I need to explain it to you first, as sometimes it doesn't work, and the results can be distressing."

Aaron nodded. He was willing to go through anything to help his little boy.

Wendy explained what she was going to do.

"The end of the ET tube in your throat has a little circular balloon around the end. It inflates to make sure the air goes into your lungs. If I deflate it, you may be able to speak. I will have to use the bag to keep you breathing." She took his hand again."If you find it distressing, if you cannot breathe, tell me and I will inflate the balloon again. Is that ok, Sweetheart?"

Aaron nodded again, his eyes brightening. Wendy detached the ventilator from the ET tube, and attached the bag. Then very slowly, she deflated the cuff.

Aaron gagged and tried to cough as his breathing stopped, and as the air flowed back through his larynx, he was able to speak.

As he spoke his son's name his voice sounded strange in his ears. Wendy squeezed the bag and Aaron felt relief as his lungs filled again.

"...Jack...danger..." he croaked, his eyes wide, desperate to make her understand the importance of what he was trying to convey.

She inflated his lungs again, and as the air flowed back over his vocal cords, he said,

"...tell Rossi Jack is in danger..." His voice hoarse and agonised.

The effort of speaking exhausted him, and he sunk back into the pillow, his wide expressive eyes looking deeply into hers.

"I understand, Aaron." she said gently, reattaching the ventilator. "I will find 'Rossi' and pass on the message. Is he a work colleague?"

Aaron nodded slowly again, his throat painful and aching after the struggle to make her understand.

She smiled and touched him softly. "I'll do it now."

She left the room, and Aaron cried with relief. Rossi would help him. He would protect his child.

-0-0-0-

Rossi moaned softly as the bullet tore through him, burying itself deeply into the ground behind him. Breathing suddenly became difficult, and he knew in his last few seconds of consciousness that one of his lungs was filling up with blood. He curled onto his side, and passed out.

"Step away from him!" Morgan yelled. Emily and Reid stood either side of Morgan. Three guns were trained on Bren.

Bren trained the gun in his hand on the motionless body lying next to him.

"Lower your weapons, or I'll kill him." Bren said quietly. His voice was shaking with rage. If he had killed his hostage, then he was finished. He reached out and grabbed Rossi by the collar and dragged him towards him. He climbed to his feet, holding Rossi in front of him.

"I mean it. I'll kill him. Throw your weapons down."

Reid and Emily didn't move, waiting for a sign from Morgan.

Morgan allowed his gun to hang from his first finger. Carefully he bent his knees and lowered the gun to the ground. The other two took his cue, and did the same.

"Ok, now we have got that straight, I am leaving. If you come after me, he's dead." Bren hoped he still had that option. Rossi's body felt heavy, and he didn't know how far he would get dragging a corpse through the woods.

He backed away from the agents, into the darkness. He would dispose of the encumbrance as soon as he was away from danger.

Morgan waited until Masefield was out of sight, and he picked up his gun and started to follow.

"We must give him room." he said to the others. "If Rossi is alive, we want to keep it that way."

_Pray to God he is. It looked pretty bad..._

Keeping their distance, they followed Bren through the trees. The trail was easy to follow, blood smeared on the ground and lower leaves of the trees. Suddenly, the trail ended.

"He's dumped Rossi." Reid said, shining his flashlight into the undergrowth.

There was a lot of blood. Reid got on his hands and knees and pulled apart the bushes.

Rossi was lying on the ground, eyes closed, and very still. Reid checked for a pulse.

"He's alive." said Reid. Morgan was on his mobile.

"The air ambulance is coming for him." Morgan said putting his phone away. "They have our co-ordinates." He carefully turned Rossi onto his side and undid the bindings around his wrists, releasing his burnt peeling hands.

Emily took Rossi's arm and began massaging his wrists. "We're here with you, Dave. Help is on its way."

Rossi groaned softly, and tried to open his eyes."

"It's ok, my man. Just lie still."Morgan said. "Don't move." He took off his shirt and folded it. He turned Rossi onto his side again, and put it onto the exit wound on his back. Reid did the same for the entry wound. A pain filled sigh escaped Rossi's lips as Morgan gently rolled him onto his back.

"Stay with us man. Keep breathing."

Rossi looked at Morgan, his rasping breaths dragging air into his damaged lungs, his eyes wide with pain.

"...Jack?..." he whispered.

"We've got Jack. He's fine."

Rossi's hand gripped Emily's wrist. He was trying to speak again, turning his head towards her. Emily bent down nearer to hear him.

"Hotch...dying...help him..."

"It's ok, Dave. Just keep with us."

Rossi was in too much pain to stay. He blinked slowly, and his eyes rolled upwards, and he fainted.

Reid looked at Morgan. "What did he mean, 'Hotch dying'?"

"I don't know. I'll call the hospital."

In the distance, the helicopter rotors could be heard.

-0-0-0-

Bren ran. He hoped that finding the Fed's body would slow the chase, but he knew he had to be quick if he was to escape. He crashed through the bushes, not worrying that he was leaving such an easy trail.

Suddenly the ground gave way beneath him. He reached out with his hands, catching hold of a tree branch to break his fall. His fall was slowed, but the branch cracked, and with a yelp of pain, Bren slid down the almost sheer drop. Crashing into the sides of the crevasse he felt a bone crack in his arm, and blood run in his eyes from a gash in his forehead.

He hit the ground with a bone jarring crack. He didn't move for a minute or two, trying to catch his breath.

He tried to turn over to get up, but he couldn't feel anything below his waist. He started to cry.

_Oh god I can't move...Maizey help me..._

Bren dragged himself to the base of the drop, his broken arm screaming in pain. He looked up towards the light far above. He was never going to get out.

He rolled onto his side and moaned in pain.


	17. Healing and Dying

Chapter 17

Healing and dying

"_**Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven."**____** Tryon Edwards**_

Gently the paramedics lifted Dave onto the stretcher. He had not regained consciousness while they inserted the IV's. Rossi had lost a lot of blood, and he had pneumothorax which needed to be drained as soon as he was on the ambulance. Morgan said that Emily should accompany him, as her legs were in pain and the walk back to the car would be too much.

Emily sat beside him and gently held his hand, taking care not to touch the burns. "You're on your way to hospital now, Sir. You are going to be ok." She looked over at the 'medic who was adjusting the IV's. "Is he going to be ok?" she asked.

She glanced at the UV in each of his wrists, and watched as the 'medic drained blood from his chest. His breath was rattling in his chest, and his hands were shaking.

"The bullet has caused a lot of damage to his right lung." he said. "But we have the top thoracic surgeon, Doctor Geiger waiting for him, so don't worry. He's stable. So let me re-dress those burns for you."

-0-0-0-

Reid was being atypically quiet on the walk back.

"Hey Kiddo, are you alright?"

"Erm...yes I'm ok. I was just thinking how close we came to losing Hotch and Rossi in the last few days. And Rossi is still bad."

"How about you, Kid? You were shot up pretty bad too. There was a time back there that I thought we'd lost you."

"I'm ok, just a bit sore. I'm just so relieved we got Jack back safe. I don't think Aaron would get over losing him."

"And I don't know if he's been told about Haley either. That will be hard for him to take."

Rossi's phone vibrated in Reid's pocket. He took it out and checked the number. "It's the hospital where they have Hotch." he said, flipping it open. "Hello. Agent Reid..."

Morgan watched as Reid smiled at the words he was listening to.

"Agent Rossi is not able to come to the phone, but I can tell you that Aaron's child is safe, and he need not worry...ok, and thank you."

He closed the phone. "Hotch has woken up, and is worried about Jack. Hotch is going to be ok." Reid couldn't stop smiling.

When they reached the car, Maize Masefield had already been taken back to the station to be processes. A group of cops had been scouring the woods for Brendan, but thus far, he hadn't been found. The trail had come to an abrupt stop, and it seemed almost as if he had disappeared off the face of the earth. They had found Rossi's gun where the trail ended, but no sign of Bren. Since they had the gun, they called off the search. Sooner or later he would turn up, but the wilderness was huge, and without a clue as to where he was heading, a further search was pointless.

They were hoping that his sister would be able to help, but as yet she had refused to talk about him, saying that he was no longer her brother, and she didn't care what happened to him.

Jack was still asleep in the back of the car. Carefully Reid lifted him out without waking him, and held him gently against his body. The SUV was out on the road. Morgan unlocked it, and Reid got in the back, holding Aaron's precious child.

"We'll drive to the hospital first." Morgan said. "They are taking Rossi and Emily straight there."

"I'll take Jack in to see Hotch." said Reid, smiling in anticipation.

Morgan was smiling too, looking forward to the reunion.

-0-0-0-

Aaron was exhausted. The pain killers he was on took the edge off the pain, but his right leg was infected, and the antibiotics were taking their time to work. It throbbed mercilessly, and the doctor said he could still lose it. His chest wounds were healing, but they itched like hell. He was having difficulty moving his head, the stitches holding his flesh together where the rope had been removed pulled every time he moved. He couldn't raise his arms, all he could do was lay still and think. And he didn't want to do that.

Wendy had come in earlier to tell him what Reid had said when she tried to call Rossi, but he had been sleeping. Her Ward Sister had told her to go home to rest, and not spend her off-duty time with Mr. Hotchner.

Emily sat in the relative's room, unaware that Hotch was only along the corridor. She stood up when Reid and Morgan came in with little Jack.

The child was excited, and bouncing in Spencer's arms.

"Daddy! See Daddy!" he squealed excitedly.

"Is Hotch here?" Emily asked.

"Third room on the right." Morgan said, and the four of them made their way to Aaron's room.

They opened the door slowly, not wanting to wake him up if he was sleeping. Aaron didn't turn to look at them as they entered.

"Hotch, I have something for you." Reid said.

_Reid, is that you? Help me here! I can't see you!_

Morgan went to the head of the bed and pressed a switch, raising the head of the bed so that Aaron could see them without having to move. Reid stood at the end of the bed with Jack.

"Daddy!" Jack thrust his little arms out towards Hotch. Aaron's eyes filled with tears.

Reid took the little boy round to Hotch and sat him on the bed. Jack lay down next to his Daddy. Aaron tried to move his arm so that he could hold him. He looked at Morgan, hoping he would understand what he wanted. Morgan smiled and carefully lifted Aaron's arm and laid it across Jack's little body.

Aaron closed his eyes, relieved tears forcing their way onto his cheeks. He wanted to tell Jacky how much he loved him, and tell his friends that he loved them too. Instead, he lay on the pillow, with his arm around his child, crying and wondering about Haley.

-0-0-0-

Along the corridor, Rossi was being prepped for surgery. His hands were carefully cleaned and dressed. The doctor thought he would not lose any fingers, but the scarring would be bad. He would need to do physio exercises to get the skin supple again.

"He should have come straight in." he said. "There could be infection, in which case, he could still lose some fingers." He ordered a broad range antibiotic drip to be added to the saline and volume expander he was already on.

The GSW was another matter and Geiger was pacing the OR waiting for him.

-0-0-0-

Miles away, a man lay at the bottom of a deep ravine. He slipped in and out of consciousness, unable to move. He cried silent frightened tears.

_I don't want to die...someone please help me..._

He looked up, his useless legs dragging. He was never going to get out.

In the darkness he could hear small animals scavenging for food, some running across his body. When he felt teeth sink into the flesh of his arm he screamed. Blood flowed, and attracted more hungry creatures.

He lay back on the rocks and sobbed fearfully as things he couldn't see tore bits of flesh off him.


	18. Epilogue

Chapter 18

Epilogue

_**Christiaan N. Barnard said, "**__**Suffering isn't ennobling, recovery is.**__**"**_

Morgan and Emily went to the cafeteria to fetch coffee, leaving Reid to tell Aaron about Haley. When they had gone, Spencer sat beside him and put his hand on Aaron's arm. Jack had gone to sleep on his Daddy, and Reid didn't want to spoil the moment. But Aaron needed to know. Painfully, Aaron turned his head to look at Reid. He knew there was something wrong. He frowned, and nodded his head slowly.

_Whatever it is, Reid. Tell me..._

"Hotch, it's Haley." He paused, really not wanting to break the news. "She died, Hotch. I'm so sorry."

Aaron shook his head in denial, his dark eyes widened in shock. ...The mother of his child...

The tears that ran down Aaron's cheeks made Reid cry. He stood up and put his arms around Aaron, and felt his body shake in grief. Reid clung to him, offering the comfort of his friendship, wishing it wasn't him that had had to break the news.

"I'm so sorry. She died trying to stop the kidnappers from taking Jack." Reid drew back from Aaron, touched his face, wiping away tears. "I am really sorry I had to tell you."

Aaron lifted his head and pressed his face into Reid's hair, and cried. Reid held him in his arms, his hand in Aaron's hair, happy to stay that way until Aaron's tears stopped flowing.

-0-0-0-

Rossi was in the OR for a long time as Geiger fought to save his life. Failure was not an option, and when Rossi's heart stopped, Geiger didn't give up when most would have. When the pulmonary repair was finished, and the site closed, Geiger left the OR triumphant once again.

Morgan and Emily were waiting for him when he came round. He smiled at them despite the pain.

"It's good to see you." he said. "Did you find Jack?"

"Jack's fine. He's with Hotch now."

"So Hotch is ok too?"

"He's recovering. He's good."

Rossi visibly relaxed. "Thank god. I thought we were going to lose him." he said. "When I called the hospital, they didn't sound very hopeful." He closed his eyes, and smiled.

-0-0-0-

Tom and Danny were bored with practicing abseiling down the fake wall outside the gym. Danny knew of a place in the woods that would be perfect to practice on the real thing before the competition. They jogged happily through the woods to the place he remembered as a child.

"I think it will be pretty good." Tom said, as they neared the place.

They checked the equipment, and Danny took the rope first.

"It's very steep!" he yelled up to Tom. "It's perfect!"

He jumped the last few feet, and the rope became loose. Suddenly, Tom heard him scream.

"Hey, Danny!" Tom shouted down. "Danny, what's happened?"

Frantically, Tom checked his equipment and abseiled down to him. He took his flashlight from his belt and shone it at the ground where Danny was standing.

"Oh my god!"

The blackened face grinned back up at them, the bony hand grasping at the rocky wall...

-0-0-0-

**END**


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